Stargate Revealed 2006 ISIS Award Winner
by Livi2Jack
Summary: Aliens come to Earth searching for Jack O'Neill and reveal the Stargate to Earth. What do the aliens want? How does Earth react? Jack is up to his neck in intrigue. Plenty of action and humor. Nominated 2006 Stargate Fan Award. FB is requested.
1. Revelations

Stargate Revealed

Winner 2006 Isis Award Jack/Other

Nominated 2006 Stargate Fan Awards: Best Series and Best Humor Story

by Livi2Jack

**Summary:** Aliens come to Earth and broadcast their search for their hero, Jack O'Neill. They reveal the secret of the Stargate in the most dramatic way. What do the aliens want? How does Earth react? What are the consequences? Jack is up to his neck in intrigue.

**Rating:** K, some swear words.

**Featured Characters**: Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Gen. Landry, Pres. Hayes, Hammond, Cam Mitchell

**Pairing:** Jack/Other

**Category**: Action/Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Humor, Point Of View

**Season**: SG-1 Season Nine +

**Related SG-1 Episode(s):** 409 Scorched Earth, 422 Exodus, 501 Enemies, 505 Red Sky, 601 Redemption, 606 Abyss, 611 Prometheus, 617 Disclosure, 703 Fragile Balance, 717 Heroes, Part 1, 718 Heroes, Part 2, 721 & 722 Lost City, 814 Full Alert, 817 Reckoning, Part 2, 818 Threads, 901 Avalon, Part 1, 902 Avalon, Part 2  
**Related Atlantis Episode(s):** 101 Rising, Part 1, 201 The Siege, Part 3 Complete Stargate Revealed Series.

**Feedback is requested.**

_**DISCLAIMER: "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis and their characters are the property of Sony Pictures/MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.**_

**CHAPTER ONE: REVELATIONS**

In August, even the bugs sweat in Washington, DC. Or so Major General Jack O'Neill thought as he dressed for work, tying his tie for the third time. He'd rather be wearing cotton BDU's. But, the hearing on the Hill this afternoon meant dress blues. Working at the Pentagon meant different battles to fight. And so, he struggled into his jacket and made his way to his new car in the apartment complex garage. He missed the truck. He missed his house. He missed the cool dry Colorado mountain air. He missed going off world. Yep, Washington in August sucked.

Traffic in Washington is the only thing worse than the weather. Commutes in the Washington metro area are described in the number of stoplights necessary to cross on the way to work. Real estate ads talk about convenience as "...only one stoplight to DC." Jack was 11 stoplights from the Pentagon, which meant a commute of 25 minutes, assuming no accidents. And of course, today had the usual tourist accident near the Memorial Bridge exit from the George Washington Parkway. So, Jack flipped on the radio for morning traffic info and hit the brakes, nearly rear ending the taxi in front of him. From the radio came the announcement, "...we come in peace, bearing greetings from the Star Commonwealth of Planets to Colonel Jack O'Neill, the Great of SG-1, Stargate Command of the United States Air Force, and to O'Neill's people of the Holy Mother Planet." Jack decided he was having a stroke.

The ringing of the cell phone brought Jack back to reality, along with all the honking as angry motorists tried to pass him. From the headset, Jack heard Hammond's voice telling him to get to the Pentagon A.S.A.P. Yeah, no kidding. And how was he to do that since traffic was already backing up as people heard the message repeated over and over on every dial and came to a standstill. Jack decided to jump the curb and cut over the grass giving up on defensive driving. He _HAD_ to get to the office. Too bad he sold his motorcycle. Boy was he going to need an alignment job after this.

The guards at the gate were told to be on alert for his approach. He was whisked through the lot and in through the door in record time, even for a general. Aides were waiting at the entrance to brief him. Everyone in the building seemed to be gawking either at him or at something just outside the window. Major Davis arrived in a golf cart to get him to the office of the Air Force Chief of Staff. The endless corridors of the Pentagon would take forever to navigate and there was no time. The carrier sized alien craft was descending over the Pentagon.

* * *

"My Lady, we can not detect any planetary defenses. Our approach goes unchallenged and our hails unanswered. We have tried to contact them through the chappai, but to no avail," said Admiral Zay to his superior. Lady Anna was the Third Lord of the Admiralty and assigned specially for this diplomatic mission by the King himself.

"Launch the probes to see if we can determine if this is the correct planet," commanded the young woman. "Perhaps, we can analyze any broadcasts for their frequencies and make contact that way. At the very least, we can determine where the United States Air Force is, whatever that is."

"Launching probes, My Lady. We are detecting satellites in orbit along with considerable debris scattered in the upper limits of the atmosphere. They seem to possess some space flight capability but we do not detect any docking station...wait, there seems to be life signs detected from a small orbital container."

"Could it be an escape pod, Admiral?"

"I don't know, but it seems likely. Shall I initiate a rescue, My Lady?"

"Yes, it will show them our goodwill. And anyway, we can ask them where we are and put them back if they protest."

"Houston, we have a problem," exclaimed Yuri Danielovich from aboard the Space Station. "It's **_HUGE!_** _THEY_ are huge. And we are in trouble...Houston, I say again, we have a _Problem_."

* * *

"Five minutes ago, the Space Station went dark after contacting Houston Mission Control to report identification of multiple enormous alien vessels," said Major Davis to Gen. O'Neill on the way to Gen. Jumper's office. "AF Satcom and the Deep Space Network show images we have never seen before. We are pretty sure it's not the Goa'uld or the Asgaard. The largest one is the size of Manhattan. And now, we have one hovering over the Pentagon in broad daylight. It's like something out of Independence Day, the movie a few years back."

"Yeah, I saw that one. So has anyone tried to upload a virus to the mother ship?" asked Jack.

"Actually, we've been working on just that for a few years now. But so far the attempt has not been authorized, since, mostly, they are calling for you on every channel of every media in every country all over the world. The Press is going nuts and the President is preparing a statement for the world. It's mass panic. People have just stopped doing whatever it was they were doing. Almost like the movie, The Day The Earth Stood Still."

"So, you watch old movies, Davis?" asked Jack. "The robot was cool."

* * *

"Who, who, are you?" asked Yuri Danielovich after finding himself definitely _NOT _on board the Space Station. He looked around at the room and the man offering a polite bow. Everyone was there, the whole crew of the Space Station.

"I am Commander Eli of the Star Commonwealth of Planets. You are aboard our base ship. We discerned your life signs in the escape pod. May we be of assistance?" The Commander scanned the shocked faces. "And, can you tell us if this is the planet of the Tau'ri? We are trying to contact Colonel Jack O'Neill, the Great of SG-1, United States Air Force." He held up an arm patch with the V sign and the number '1' in it. "But so far, we have had no response. We can't seem to match our com system to yours. Do any of you know which frequencies we should use?"

* * *

"Well, it looks like they found me," offered Jack to Gen. Jumper who was looking out the window. "Why don't they just use their freaky alien transporter and get it over with? How many of those are hovering around the planet anyway?"

"So far, just this one. The rest are still in orbit," said Gen. Jumper looking back at Jack. "The President is getting ready to make a statement. We have the ambassadors from our allies on the way to the White House to make a unified stance at the Press conference afterwards. I was hoping to know more before the President has to make his statement."

"Sirs, we are receiving a message from the aliens, on speaker." Major Davis punched the button.

"... respectfully request a meeting with His Honor General Jack O'Neill, the Great, to open a dialogue between our two great peoples. We wish to thank the crew of the Space Station for their assistance identifying how and where to find His Honor. We have returned them in peace to their dwelling, which we mistook for a stranded escape pod. Hovering above the offices of Our Lord O'Neill, Hero of the Battle of Vorash, is a small pinnace. On board are two emissaries of our people ready to greet His Honor. They come unarmed, carrying letters of introduction from our mutual friends, the Enkarans. We ask that our emissaries be received gently in the center courtyard of the Pentagon. We await your response on this channel."

"O'Neill, the Great, eh?" smirked Jack. Then catching himself, Jack added, "I like the 'Hero of the Battle of Vorash' was it? Nice touch. A little thick, but it is a nice touch." Looking around at the blank looks, he added, "... the one where we blew up that sun and took down that over-dressed, over the top, snakehead bad guy, Apophis." Jack paused, "So, um, word gets around, I guess." Everyone assembled started nodding at the gross understatement. "Well then," He fluffed the hair at the nape of his neck, "I guess we go outside to meet and greet?" He sighed. "It's just so dang hot out there."

* * *

"How did _THIS _happen? It's August. No one but a tourist comes to Washington, DC in August," lamented President Hayes. "What's that quote about mad dogs and tourists going out in the midday sun? In August, all the sane people leave. I was supposed to go on vacation next week." He looked out the window of the Oval Office. "I've heard of world famous, but _THIS_? The sonofabitch has a fan club across the Galaxy?" The President of the United States just stood there in shock, rocking back and forth in his stocking feet, looking out the window at the carrier sized alien ship hovering over the Pentagon, across the Potomac River. "How do I explain _THIS_?"

General Francis Maynard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, regarded the President impassively. "Sir, you knew this secret could not be kept indefinitely. It's too big. Sooner or later, it was bound to come out. Granted, this is a bit more dramatic than we would have liked, but they haven't attacked anything...yet. We've sent people with the Ancient gene down to the chair in Antarctica, but our drone supply is nearly depleted. And we have sent teams to K'tau to contact the Asgaard for help."

"How's that going? Are they coming?" demanded the President. "You know they should install an Asgaard phone here in the White House. We are supposed to be allies. What if we could not establish an outgoing wormhole. It's happened before, you know. Make that a priority next time you talk to Thor." The bags under the President's eyes betrayed his strain after two years into his term. "I didn't sign up for this. I never wanted to represent the planet to the rest of the Galaxy. Have they met with O'Neill? And that phrase, 'The Holy Mother Planet' is not exactly reassuring."

The President was referring to the alien's communiqué broadcast repeating over every channel, in every media, in every country, in many languages, all over the world that hot August morning. "...We come in peace, bearing greetings from the Star Commonwealth of Planets to Colonel Jack O'Neill, the Great of SG-1, Stargate Command of the United States Air Force, and to O'Neill's people of the Holy Mother Planet." The President sighed and gave a lopsided grin at his general, " Sheesh, talk about high drama out of a B movie from 50 years ago. Ok, I have a press conference in 5 minutes, where's my speech? _KAREN_!" The president's press secretary came in running.

"We haven't been able to contact the Asgaard this trip. They aren't answering their phone," replied the General. "We are on our own, for now."

The president's face fell. "Not what I wanted to hear, Francis."

* * *

"This just keeps getting better and better," hissed Jack, standing in the hot wet August midday. "My shirt is soaked through. Hope they know about deodorant."

"I wonder if they have arms," replied Major Davis, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I thought they said they would be right down. What is keeping them? Or maybe they think this is funny. Make the Earthlings sweat, literally," complained Jack. "Ok, they should know that this heat is not improving my sunny disposition." Jack watched one of the SF's in full gear keel over from the heat. "Aw, crap." And at that moment a buzzing whine announced the transport of the aliens. And simultaneously, all the gun bolts slammed and barrels were raised in anticipation towards the light.

* * *

Kendall Cross slammed the phone down in exasperation. How dare they try to delay her story? They promised to let her break the story! The Air Force had promised her an exclusive in exchange for her silence over the Prometheus incident. She had kept her bargain and they had better keep theirs. Well, CNN executives would just have to let her go with what she had. "Katie, get Steve, _NOW_!" barked Kendall. "I want a camera team, two vans, and access to the Pentagon, and no excuses!" The floor of the CNB Washington News Room was in a state of high tension. This was the biggest story, well, Ever! And Kendall had the rights to break the story, first!

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" asked Steve Rosen, executive producer of the morning shift at the Washington bureau. "I mean, you've been sitting on this without telling me, without telling anyone, for how long? Nearly _THREE_ years? _WHAT_ have they got on you, lady?"

"They've got a signed non-disclosure agreement. Which, I might add guarantees me the right to break the story. I have the film from the last go round, which they never found, and my own story. You can set up an interview and interview me if it comes down to it," huffed Kendall. "After all, there's an alien space ship sitting on top of the Pentagon, _THE PENTAGON_, for god's sake.

"Whoa, there lady, we have to run this through the legal department. There may be elements you still can not disclose," counseled Steve.

"That's right, Ma'am. You do not have the right to disclose until the President says you do. Colonel Tom Rundell, Pentagon Media Liaison Representative, ma'am. General O'Neill sends his complements. Your messages have been received and noted. So, the Pentagon sent me to settle you down. You must realize that there are elements that still cannot be disclosed. However, I have here a list of what you can. Can we step into your office, please?"

* * *

"Right, you bet. That's terrific. Thank you. Thank you. Tell General O'Neill that I shall." Emmett Bregman lowered the phone, clasped his hands together, and pirouetted behind his desk. This was better than he ever imagined. President Hayes wanted to run his "Heroes" film tonight after his speech to Congress. And even better, they wanted him on hand at the Pentagon, for what he wasn't sure, but it had to be good for Emmett Bregman. The world was going to know the name of Emmett Bregman.

* * *

"I don't like it. Look at all those weapons. We said, 'receive them gently' and just look at all that ordnance. I say we bring Him up here. It's cooler anyway," opined Admiral Zay.

Lady Anna sighed and looked annoyed. "You know Zay, you are more fussy than an old lady sometimes."

"Well, you would know, My Lady," teased Zay softly. "I still don't like it. At least let them wear personal shields."

"They'll faint just like that warrior did down there. Those things don't breathe so well. No, we have to start somewhere. Let's not give them any cause to complain of us. We have acted honorably so far. Surely they must understand, since we returned the crew of the Space Station. Send them down," she commanded. "It is in His hands now."

* * *

For several long moments, everyone just stood and stared at each other. And then another SF keeled over. The aliens were human-form at least. This was getting better thought Jack. "General Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force. Got your message. What do you want?" Well, not smooth but to the point, and in this heat, that counted for a lot. The aliens continued to stare for a few moments. And then they fell to their knees and bowed their heads.

"Oh for crying out loud, _GET UP_, get up, get up, no, you are not going to do that today. Sheesh, I hate when they do that. I _SAID_ get up!" Jack indicated at an SF to approach them and help the woman rise. The woman looked aghast at the SF. The man started to protest, but another SF reached out and helped him up too. "No groveling. Got it? Now let's go inside." They didn't move. He motioned them to follow. "C'mon, it's cooler inside." He tried a weak smile and received a nod from the woman, who took a step forward, and tripped over the lawn sprinkler. She went down face first in the muddy grass. It was going to be one of those days. "Oy," Jack grumbled sotto voce, and reached down to help the unfortunate girl.

"Oh, that went well, My Lady," growled Admiral Zay looking over at Lady Anna. You really shouldn't laugh. Poor Lady Janelle is probably mortified. She'll never want to show her face again."

Lady Anna was racked with laughter. Gasping for air and holding her sides, Lady Anna managed to squeak out, " she, she, she went down at the most solemn moment in history. She, she, she probably did...hee, hee, did us all the greatest favor in the galaxy!" Peals of laughter shook her slight frame. "And did you see him reach over and lift her up, so gently? He IS kind, after all. It's going to be alright, Cousin."

Down on the planet, the corridor was dim after the midday sunshine. Dim and cool. What horrible heat and humidity these people lived in. Janelle was embarrassed and looked a mess. A woman approached and offered her hand, pulling her gently away from His Honor. Janelle went meekly with the woman and the guards. The women entered a room with water fixtures. Towels appeared. She accepted them gratefully and set about cleaning up. The woman was making soft cooing sounds and acting maternal. Oh well, what was done was done. She got the mud off her face and hands. But the dress was not going to come clean here. Janelle looked around the room. It smelled of chemicals. How do primitives live like this? Janelle finished quickly and indicated her desire to return to the group. She had a duty to perform. Her people were depending on her. Her pride would survive.

"Feeling better, ma'am?" General O'Neill enquired softly. He indicated a chair in a room filled with large men with obvious weapons. Her partner, Lt. Benjamin, was seated next to her. Why they stuck her with the Lieutenant could only be explained by family connections. He was a moron. So she took the initiative before he could make things worse.

"Yes, thank you, your Honor. You are most kind. I am Lady Janelle, daughter of Lord Reuben, House of Grey Hollow on the Planet Aretz of the Star Commonwealth of Planets. Our Great Lady has asked me to introduce us and say, "Peace Be Unto You."

"Well, that's mighty nice, ma'am. Peace to you too." Jack wanted to roll his eyes. He wanted her to get to the point. But he had learned these things had to take their course. Where was Daniel when he needed him? He should be arriving anytime now. Jack had contacted the SGC and sent for Daniel as soon as he heard the radio in the car. That was 3 hours ago. The F-302 should be landing at Andrews Air Force Base any moment and a chopper was standing by for Daniel. "So, you said something about having mutual friends. The Enkaran wasn't it?"

"Yes, your Honor. We are friends of the Enkaran. I am carrying letters to you from the Enkaran High Council and from your friends Hedrezar and Nikka." Janelle reached into her pocket and withdrew two disks. The SF's had raised their weapons at her motion. Janelle fought the urge to scream. Instead, she just looked at O'Neill, who was making no move to accept the disks.

"Go ahead, turn them on," instructed O'Neill. Janelle chose the disk from Hedrezar and activated it. A hologram of the old woman appeared and faced O'Neill.

"Colonel O'Neill, it is I, Hedrezar. Thanks to you and Daniel Jackson, we have found our people on our home world. Our thanks be to all of you for helping us. Nikka's son was born on the way. We have honored you and named the child "O'Neill" as we said we would. He is a lively child of more than 4 years now. We have met new friends. They call themselves the Commonwealth. They are a good people, O'Neill. Look, my eyes, they are restored to me. The doctors of these people gave us all our sight back. And, they have built us a Stargate. Now, you, Carter, Daniel, Teal'c, oh, and General Hammond can come and visit. The Enkaran High Council has sent a letter of invitation as well. This is our new address," she said holding up a sequence of gate symbols. "I hope this finds you well, and I hope you will come soon. Never a day goes by that we forget to say prayers for you and your people. Thank you and our blessings to you, O'Neill." And the disk shut itself off.

Jack felt his eyes mist. He looked down, and let a cough escape, as he shifted his weight. "You built them a Stargate? So, way smarter than we are, eh?" He looked around and smiled a small smile. "Davis, contact General Landry. Give him those coordinates and have him send a team to check on this story. It's not that I don't trust you, but, well, you understand we have to be careful."

"Your Honor, we understand and fully expected this reaction. You will find all is in order. Do you want to review the other messages, or shall I have Lt. Benjamin provide instructions to one of your assistants?"

"Sure, have Lt. Benjamin show one of these men." Jack signaled to one of the officers who stepped forward and took the lieutenant over to a table in the corner. "Ok, so what did you want to tell me the lieutenant should not hear?"

"Your Honor, Lt. Benjamin is my subordinate. I am charged with this duty to make first contact. I am to offer you such proofs of goodwill, as you require. My hope is that you will consent to meet with the leader of our expedition when you are satisfied. There are matters both great and terrible we have come to discuss with you."

" Why me? I know Hedrezar told you about me, but now we have met. Don't you want us to take you to our leader?" Jack regarded her with suspicion.

" No, your Honor. We do not want to meet with your sovereign until we have had the opportunity to consult with you at considerable length. As to why you, we have learned through our intelligence sources that you are known to be the most honorable man in your government. We know that in your military actions, you have not conquered or enslaved the peoples of other worlds. We know you have defended and liberated peoples less fortunate than yourselves. And we know that you were the only official who refused to steal Tonane's mineral. We know you were the only official that 4 advanced races trusted to set right a great wrong wrought by others in your government. And we have heard how you honored your word to the Goa'uld. We were warned to speak to you first and only to you. Even your enemies know the word of O'Neill is forged in honor."

Jack felt himself straighten and square his shoulders. What could he possibly say to a speech like that? Clearly these people did their homework. "Well, then, if things check out on Enkara, I suppose you should take me to _YOUR_ leader. Excuse me, I need to consult with mine."

* * *

People die in this kind of heat. Daniel Jackson walked across the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. As he made his way to the chopper that was to take him to the Pentagon, he saw storm clouds were brewing in the western horizon. The air weighed oppressively on him. Walking on hot black tarmac was not helping matters. Jeez, it had to be over 100 degrees out here and total humidity. Not even a puff of breeze lightened the smothering air. Maybe the rain would cool things off a little. August in Washington, DC was much worse than in the cool dry Rocky Mountains, where Cheyenne Mountain was located. Couldn't the aliens have come in the Fall? On the other hand, maybe they liked this weather.

Mercifully, this helicopter was air-conditioned. Daniel looked down noting that the highways were jammed. Well, not strange considering events. People were apparently making a run for it. And then he saw it. The alien ship was the size of an aircraft carrier. It was just hovering over the Pentagon. Daniel closed his eyes and groaned. He looked out over the Capital and saw people in the streets just standing and looking up. And he saw the military and police everywhere. They had been deployed to keep order. This was shaping up to be a disaster. At least it was one ship and no one had fired any weapons, yet.

"D'you hear the message, Dr. Jackson?" the pilot enquired over the com system. "They asked specifically for General O'Neill by name. They accessed every frequency, every channel, in all languages, all over the globe. Hell, they even got on our emergency military and civil defense networks They were bouncing back signals off our own AF Satcom. Even the com systems in the fighters we scrambled received only _THE MESSAGE_. They're some serious folks." Daniel just looked at him, leaned back, and closed his eyes. The secret was revealed now.

* * *

"Col. Mitchell, I am assigning Dr. Balinsky to your unit while Dr. Jackson is in Washington," General Landry informed him. "You are to make contact with the Enkaran High Councilor Armil and make certain you speak in person with Hedrezar. I want to know if there is any form of coercion or signs of conquest by these aliens who call themselves the Commonwealth. If necessary, you are authorized to bring back, briefly, an Enkaran who will be willing to talk to us here. We must be certain that fear is not keeping them from telling us the truth. Stay in regular contact. Now move out."

"Yes sir." Mitchell saluted and turned to go. "Thanks for joining us Marines. Everyone, let's do it." And they disappeared through the Gate.

* * *

"They don't want to meet with me? But I'm a nice guy," protested President Hayes. "Did you tell them I'm a nice guy? I have a great smile. What's not to like?" President Hayes threw out his best full teeth smile. The Oval Office was buzzing with the camera crew and make-up people.

"Hold still, sir, just one more touch up," demanded the make-up lady. She removed the napkin under his chin and stepped back to view the effect. "It'll do."

"And in 5...4...3...2...Good afternoon, my fellow Americans and all the citizens of this world. Today is a profound moment in our history. At approximately, 6 am Eastern Daylight Time, aliens from another planet arrived in orbit. By now, most of you have heard their greeting. Some of you have seen the large ship above the Pentagon. There are more ships in orbit. They say they come in peace. And, so far, they have done nothing to suggest otherwise. I want to caution you not to panic. This is not some theatrical science fiction movie. I urge you not to exaggerate your fears. In view of the situation, I have suspended trading on all the markets for the next two days. And, I am calling up the reserve units of the National Guard to maintain the peace along with all the remaining reserve military personnel who have not been called up already.

Now, this situation affords us the opportunity to finally reveal what we know. We have known for sometime that life, sentient life, exists throughout our galaxy. In fact, we have met many races over the past eleven years. Some of these races have even become our friends. Today, these aliens have given us proofs that they know our friends. They even came with letters of introduction. These folks are humanoid, which means they look like us. They can speak our language. They call themselves The Star Commonwealth of Planets. Our friends tell us that the Commonwealth has acted as a civilized people and made kind efforts towards them, as they have towards us. I can confirm that earlier today, the crew of the Space Station paid a visit to the alien base ship. The aliens believed they were conducting a rescue of an escape pod and brought the crew aboard their vessel. As soon as the mistake was understood, these folks returned the crew back to the Space Station, _UNHARMED_ and apologized. These are not the acts of a violent people.

I am impressed that the Commonwealth prepared so well for first contact with us. They know quite a bit about us. By every indication, they are here because they are impressed with honor of one of our generals. We do have in the United States Air Force, a Major General Jack O'Neill. He is indeed the person the aliens were seeking in their message. And, he has met with their emissaries. Later, he will meet with the alien leader on board their ship.

Tonight, I shall address a joint session of Congress. More of your questions will be answered at that time. Until then, I ask you with all my heart to go back to your homes and to go about your business. May God bless and keep you all."

Sara O'Neill felt her legs buckle underneath her. She sank to the soft carpet of her living room, staring at the TV set. Aliens were calling for Jack? The President confirmed it was Jack. She started to weep. Nothing the Air Force told her indicated that aliens were involved in Jack's work. But then he had never said much about anything he did. Even across the years, she still cared.

* * *

"So what have we got on this General Jack, people? I need a bio ASAP. We want to roll with this on the quarter hour." Steve Rosen looked at the stunned faces and shouted, "_MOVE!"_ On the set, the talking heads were beginning a useless recap of the President's speech. "Is Kendall's piece ready? We roll in 15 minutes." Today was the day for which all newsmen lived. Great Scott, he felt alive. Woodward and Bernstein had nothing over on him. He was about to produce the scoop of the, well, the biggest scoop in the history of the human race. Yes, the whole human race. And it was called The Stargate.

* * *

"And what do _YOU_ want?" asked Jack as Colonel Chekov appeared at his door. The Russian barreled in and offered his hand.

"Congratulations, General. You are now the most famous person in the whole Galaxy. I knew you would make something of yourself, someday."

"Funny." Jack wasn't laughing. He eyed the Russian with grudging respect and decided to accept the hand. Chekov had come through more often than not recently. Chekov was the one who had gotten through to the President of Russia, just in time to avert a nuclear war. The Goa'uld were still busy fomenting conflict on Earth, but it had been quiet lately. And, Chekov had supported Jack and Hammond when then Senator Kinsey tried to wrest away control of the SGC.

"I am here to ensure that our agreements are fully honored. And, to help you where it is necessary. But then, you should be able to handle a large armada of alien vessels determined to make you the poster boy for Earth." He just grinned from ear to ear. "I hear they have a big one for you. I wouldn't bend over without back up." Wagging his finger at Jack, he added for spite, "And, I am here to cover your backside when it all goes horribly wrong."

"Oy" Just what he needed, a pessimistic Russkie optimist. Made the Cold War look simple by comparison. This day just got better and better. Jack turned back to the window. He could hear thunder from the approaching rainstorm.

* * *

"That upstaging political hack. We had an agreement!" The Prime Minister of Great Britain had just had his fill after watching President Hayes' speech. "That does it. We call a meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Tonight. _DO IT_!" he screamed. " And call the Presidents of Russia, France, the Premier of China, and whomever else and tell them we are going to do it. Get me the Secretary General. Then get me an audience with the Queen. America's closest ally my arse."

"Sorry sir, but the Russians have already called for a General Assembly tonight. I'm very sorry, sir. It's what I came to tell you." The Prime Minister's aide backed out of the room and ran.

* * *

"So, what's _he_ doing here?" Daniel asked Jack pointing to Colonel Chekov on the other side of the conference table.

"He's watching my backside," Jack grimaced.

"Hello again, Dr. Jackson. I see you made it in one piece," observed Chekov.

"Yes, hello. It's nice to see you too. Jack, did you hear that the Russian government called for a United Nations General Assembly meeting tonight in New York?" Daniel pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Yes, I suppose that's all part of watching my backside, eh, Colonel?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Well what did you expect? Did you think the Russian People were going to sit back and wait for _YOU_ to make the determination of their fate? The United States cannot assume the sole responsibility for this planet anymore. The secret's out and everyone knows. Now, other voices will be heard." Chekov rolled his eyes. These Americans were like children when it came to global politics. Make that interstellar politics.

Jack sighed. "In case you weren't listening, **_THEY_** have decided to _WHOM_ **They** wish to speak. I didn't decide anything."

"You could have made it clear that there are other voices and other representatives that must speak with them too." Chekov's tone got more strident.

Jack lost his patience. "You just don't get it. No, you just don't **_WANT_** to get it. They have a fleet of great big honking space ships. Ships that are way bigger and more powerful than anything the Goa'uld have, or the Asgaard, or anyone else we have ever met. They have a **_FLEET _**of ships up there, which contain a fleet of other ships inside the big ones. One of those mothers is the size of Manhattan Island. It's as big as the Lost City of Atlantis. It's the size of all of Moscow and then some. In one swoop, they took over the communications of this entire planet just to get what they wanted. That says they are way, way, way, smarter than we are." Jack dangerously lowered his voice, " I, for one, am not going to thwart them if they want to talk to me." Jack leaned back and glared at Chekov. "So, Colonel, you gonna watch my six, or do I have to remove you right now?"

Chekov mumbled back, "that won't be necessary, General."

"Alright then, first order of business, did we reach the Asgaard?" Everyone opened his or her briefing folders and the meeting began.

* * *

"Everyone open the folders, let's call this meeting to order," instructed Lady Anna. "What have we determined about this planet? Can anyone tell me how a place so primitive could have defeated the bulk of the Goa'uld? Commander Derek, what can you tell us?"

"My Lady, we have not been able to make that determination. From the weapons we have seen it is most bizarre. Their primitive information files were easy enough to access. They do have nuclear weaponry. And they have learned to use naquadah to enhance their yields. But, they seem to be pre-interstellar space flight capable. Well, other than the Goa'uld vessels they have captured and modified, they don't seem to be far along. We are still accessing files in other regions, but these places are even more primitive than the one we have contacted."

"That's disturbing. Is it possible that they have hidden their more advanced weapons off-world?" asked Lady Anna.

"We found the site of their famous Stargate Command. It is some distance from the Capital and deep underground. But, that situation poses no problem for us. They have virtually no encryption security to their data files. We have been sifting through their files all day. So far, it is just a shocking lack of security and only marginally useful data on their weapons. But it doesn't appear that they have significant weapons off-world." Derek shifted forward in his chair. "But what we did find inside the base was terrifying." He paused for effect. "They are utterly compromised with multiple source audio visual surveillance implants. And some of those show isotopes from outside this solar system."

"What are you saying, Commander?"

"I'm saying that other aliens are conducting clandestine surveillance of the SGC. The SGC hasn't got a clue. It could have been going on for years." Derek sat back angrily. "In fact, we found evidence that there are relay repeaters off this planet to broadcast the signal out into deep space. We found one on the moon of this world, two others unrelated to the first in the asteroid belt, and they are unrelated to each other, and another on the third moon of the nearest ringed planet. And that's just the off-world surveillance. They are compromised by the other peoples of this world as well."

"Then how did they manage their great victories? They sound like imbeciles." Lady Anna was getting impatient.

"We have noticed a large debris field on the southern polar continent. Scans indicate the Goa'uld made much of the debris materials. Apparently, that is where Anubis sent his fleet. Perhaps, that area deserves more attention?" suggested Derek.

"And what have we learned about the peoples and politics of this world we don't already know?" Lady Anna watched everyone carefully. This situation was worse than she had expected. "Captain Michael, report."

"They are more divided than we knew. There are several regions that are more advanced than the rest of the planet, but nearly pre-industrial agrarian peasants inhabit the bulk of the planet. This region, O'Neill's people, are called Americans. They and a few other nations compose the bulk of the industrialized areas and the bulk of the most advanced scientific capabilities. But they are at least 1500 years less advanced than we are." He sighed and plowed onward, "From our preliminary estimates, we have determined that this world cannot sustain its population. And that population, somewhere over 6 billion people, is growing at a rate that causes serious unrest between those with enough and those without enough."

Lt. Commander Andrew chimed in, "It is even worse. Pollution and overpopulation are destroying natural habitat at an alarming rate. They are causing the extinction of untold numbers of life forms unique to this planet. They seem to know it but cannot seem to make themselves do otherwise."

Derek spoke again, "Based upon the public's reaction to us, and the broadcast comments from their leaders, it would seem the public had no idea about off-world peoples at all. Their governments have been running the Stargate program clandestinely. Many governments seem to know all about it, but not the people. The unrest in the major cities may be the result of this revelation today." Derek looked around the table. "We did them an injury today by proclaiming ourselves so publicly. The riots are a direct result of our arrival and show no signs of abating. Lord O'Neill is probably angry."

Lady Anna sighed. This day just kept getting worse and worse.

* * *

"Repent sinners, repent, the Day of Judgment is at hand and this planet has been found wanting," the TV preacher was exhorting. "Oh please", muttered Jack. He was flipping channels on the set in his office at the Pentagon. He had to admit, as Director of Homeworld Security, he deserved a mighty fine office, the parking space, oh, and the paycheck. Today, he was certainly earning it. Jack was supposed to have a desk job; overseeing the Stargate Program; running the development of spaceships; and exercising the oversight of lots of nasty alien toys being analyzed in area 51 and the Alpha Site. He thought of it as a desk job with political battles, instead of actual combat. He preferred combat. Instead of a knife, the press was at his throat, same difference. His face was plastered all over the news. Because, today was the day the secret of the Stargate was revealed.

"You shouldn't be watching that stuff," Retired Lt. General George Hammond said in a fatherly voice. "It will just make you crazy. You have enough pressure."

Jack craned his neck sideways to look at his image on the TV screen. "Do I look fat?" He patted his stomach and looked down. "I look fat."

"Naw, you look just fine. Now shut it off." Gen. Hammond instructed. Jack complied with a shrug. "I briefed the President. He wants you to know he has every confidence in you. He just doesn't have any confidence in our so-called allies. They are out for blood. Tonight's going to be a real circus at the United Nations."

"Yes, well, that's why they pay him the big bucks," snarked Jack. "What I don't understand is why the aliens don't just beam me up and have done with it. They page me on every frequency all over the world. Then, they ask, oh so politely, if they can send down two representatives from a huge ship sitting over my head. They are pussyfooting around. I think they are looking for something. I mean, why have that ship up there anyway? It's intimidation. And it has to have something to do with recon. I am sure of it." Jack thought for a moment and added, "I am going to ask them to move it."

"So, what's your plan?" asked General Hammond, taking a seat on the sofa.

"I'm taking Daniel with me. They don't like it, and" Jack paused, "I don't care." Jack turned to look out the window. "They want to talk to me. Fine, I'm listening. But, there is something very off here." Jack turned to face Hammond. "I mean, they have the power to do just about anything they want, but they are bowing and scraping to me? Weird, huh?"

"They are aliens, Jack." Gen. Hammond reminded him. "Their motives could be anything. We know nothing about their customs. But the Enkaran representatives at the SGC confirmed the message from the High Council. These folks have not done anything aggressive to them. In fact, these aliens have been downright helpful." The portly older man narrowed his eyes, "But you are right They can do what they want. So maybe they are just biding their time until something is in place." Hammond crossed his legs in the chair. "So, nothing from the K'tau Hall of Wisdom?"

"No. We are trying to contact what's left of the Tok'ra," shrugged Jack.

"You think maybe they have another ship that can reach the Asgaard?" asked Hammond.

"There's that. Or, maybe they have some cool new weapon. Maybe a big honking space gun, or poison, maybe. They are good at poison." Jack grimaced at the thought. "Obviously, we can't just wait for the Asgaard to save our ass over and over...I mean our collective butts, sir." Jack rubbed his eyes. "And, I've ordered all activity to cease around the Ancient Outpost in Antarctica. We don't want to tip our hand about the Ancient's chair weapon there." Clouds passed over the sunlight playing on Jack's finely chiseled features. "The Alpha Site is prepping to launch the Prometheus. I am sending Colonel Ronson to try to get a message to Orilla, the Asgaard's new home world." Jack's hand ruffled his hair at his neck. "And I don't want these folks to know about our ships. There's no point risking the new ships, just yet, against the armada these folks have in orbit anyway. I want to know more about the aliens."

Hammond agreed and pointed out, "the Daedalus is still in Pegasus and can't be reached. They aren't scheduled back for another 2 weeks. So unless they phone home from Atlantis, we can't even ask Hermiod to call Thor." Hermiod was the new Asgaard crewmember of the Daedelus, the next generation ship just completed and sent to Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Jack stretched. "And I'm guessing the next Daedalus ship isn't going to be ready in time."

"I am sitting on the commander of that facility," said Hammond. "They are trying to get it finished, working triple shifts around the clock. But it is still weeks away from being flight capable."

"Well, tell them if they don't hurry up, they'll be the largest manufacturer of siege artillery for the home if this goes south," Jack answered at his most surly. "Because these folks could send us back to the stone age, or worse."

"We are in a tough spot, Jack. Just keep them talking. They seem to love you. So there's hope," offered Gen. Hammond. "Oh, the President said to tell them he is a nice guy." Hammond chuckled. "He was a little offended that they said they didn't want to meet with him. The thinking in the White House is that a meeting would help the President's approval rating." Hammond just shook his head and stood up. "We have to get to the Capitol for the President's speech. They are going to make you a hero, Jack. But then, you already are."

Jack turned back to the window with a pensive stare. The August rainstorm was approaching fast. He could see the lightening before he heard the thunder. It promised to be a hot rain cooling nothing.


	2. Honors

**Chapter Two: Honors**

The Speaker banged the gavel three times. Everyone stood up. "This joint session of the Congress of the United States of America is hereby opened. Please stand for the Anthem." All the Americans did. Then, the music to "Hail to the Chief" started up. President Henry Hayes started his march down the center aisle waving and smiling big for the cameras. Applause rippled through the audience. And all eyes were expectant.

The President went up the podium and made the obligatory greetings. Even the talking heads went silent on the television screens. The President began his salutations and went into the body of his text. The next hour and a half brought total shock to everyone who wasn't previously informed. The United States had an alien device called the Stargate, which made possible interplanetary travel. This visit by aliens was a direct result of the Stargate.

The President went so far as to reveal that the United States had unilaterally conducted a secret war on other planets to defend this one. Most of the other governments knew it. Worse, they condoned it during and after the fact. Some had even participated. The American taxpayers had funded nearly all of it. The planet had almost been destroyed several times. The President cited the gains as being the new technologies garnered and the off-world allies made as the results. Which part was the most shocking was hard to say.

But the one thing made clear to everyone was the fact that the United States' military had done its job. The planet was still here in one piece. And it was largely due to the efforts of Stargate Command personnel and one Major General Jack O'Neill. The President called upon Jack to come forward to the foot of the podium. The applause and cheers were genuine. Yes, this politician knew how to manipulate the situation for maximum effect, thought Jack. As he stood there receiving the adulation, President Hayes quieted the room.

The President addressed Jack, "Come to attention, Major General Jack O'Neill. For conduct above and beyond..."he started to recite the litany of heroic deeds that had saved the planet, " we therefore award you the highest honor of our people, the Congressional Medal of Honor." Everyone shook hands. The applause and cheers were deafening. Jack stood there tall and straight, handsome, immobile, and impassive. He looked every inch a general and a hero.

"I'll say this, they do know how to put on a good show," said Admiral Zay to Lady Anna in her private sitting room on board the base ship. They had just watched the dog and pony show broadcast from the Capitol. "What I cannot understand is why they have not awarded him this medal long before this moment. What more could anyone be required to achieve in order to receive it?"

"He has enemies, Zay, powerful enemies on this world." Lady Anna looked grim. She looked at the people shaking hands and congratulating Lord O'Neill. "He hasn't smiled once, Zay. Did you notice?" Yes, this grandly dignified, handsome man did not give away much. He was keeping his thoughts closely guarded. But she was guessing he hated every minute of it. She knew she would learn his secrets, if he did not kill them all first.

"Tell Commander Derek I want to see him. I have a job for just his talents." Lady Anna rose and bowed to the Admiral in dismissal. He returned the courtesy and withdrew. The situation was getting more and more difficult.

* * *

"O'Neill," growled the elegant, finely featured man. "The name makes me sick." He turned off the TV and faced the other men in the ornate room where the remains of a large dinner sat on a baroque table. "We have an opportunity here to obtain some very impressive ships and to regain our status in the galaxy. This primitive world has just brought us more than they realize, but only for the bold who can seize it." Heads were nodding solemnly as the realization sunk in. An older man in the group raised his glass. "The time of reckoning is at hand, and only the righteous may pass. To you, my Lord Ba'al," said former Vice-President Kinsey, his eyes flashed and glowed.

* * *

Hurry up and wait. Emmett Bregman was cooling his heels in a large conference room at the Pentagon. The newsman in him was chaffing at the bit to cover any aspect of this, what, this historic event. What a colossal understatement! He was channel surfing on the TV. And, he was having his umpteenth cup of coffee in an empty room. He was beginning to suspect the military invited him here just to corral him while they decided what cover up to put in place. No, that was too paranoid. You couldn't possibly cover up that huge alien craft hovering in broad daylight over the Pentagon. And Kendall Cross had broken the story of the Stargate. His film would be shown after the commentators finished up after the President's speech. Then, his Q rating, the measure of his media renown would be astronomical. He should call his agent and alert him that his rate was going way up. 

"Emmett, good to see you again," Col. Tom Rundell strode forward and offered his hand.

"Tom, nice to see you too," replied Bregman, taking the proffered hand. "I can't believe 'Heroes' will be aired tonight. This is just great. But why did you ask me here? I mean, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, Emmett, it seems General O'Neill has something in mind. And the President agrees. We want you to be on board with this. We are all impressed with the product you produced last time. And, a lot has happened in the last two and a half years. More than you can imagine. And I am not talking about these aliens, although now that's a factor."

"Ok, I understand that you would want someone to update 'Heroes.' But, I don't need to do that today, or do I?" asked Bregman.

"Not exactly, but we need to know if you are ready to go at a moment's notice." Col. Rundell fixed a steely stare on the producer. "Is there anything, anything at all which would prevent you from putting yourself at your government's complete disposal? Any contractual obligations, personal obligations, medical problems, anything?"

"Um, no, and," the burly dark haired journalist hesitated, "not to sound unpatriotic in a crisis, but I get paid, right?" Bregman stuck his hands in his pockets and crooked his neck up. "Because I'm thinking that my rate should be slightly increased from the last time. It was some years ago, you know. I mean, we may not need money if they," he pointed upwards, "you know, boom, let us have it. But just in case, I think..."

"The President has authorized an increase of 50 percent. Will that do?" Rundell kept a level tone. "You will be covering an exclusive that, for sure, no one else will."

Bregman considered it. "Is there any danger? I mean the shooting, getting blown up kind of danger?"

"Probably not, but the situation is fluid, you understand?" Rundell replied.

"Oh, I see. _OH!_ You're saying _PROBABLY_ not. That means maybe, which means, oh boy!"

"Yes or no Mr. Bregman?"

Bregman closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Call me Emmett, Tom, and yes."

* * *

After the speech, the President had his own issues with the press to consider. Political careers lived and died with public opinion. 

"That should steal some thunder from that circle of wolves at the U.N. tonight," chuckled President Hayes. "Give me the numbers, Frank. How did we do?" Hayes turned to his Press Secretary, Frank Court.

"We are doing well on the West Coast. The Mid-west is up. The South is, well, conservative, so down. The Northeast is about the same. But the Mid-Atlantic is way down. That's probably because they are closer to the alien ship. So I would say, overall, good, sir." Frank looked up from the report. "The O'Neill angle probably saved your bacon, if we are being honest. It appears your decision to stay in Washington also helped you. And it made the members of Congress stay too or look like cowards. That move was, all in all, a stabilizing effect. We should have revised numbers after the 'Heroes' program finishes running."

"Considering the incident with the Space Station and the call for O'Neill by name, staying seemed worth the risk." The President loosened his tie and sat back. "Poor bastard. O'Neill will never be able just to walk down the street again. He'll need the Secret Service for the rest of his life."

"Yes sir. That he will," agreed Court. "And you will have to do something for Dr. Jackson, sir. We have scheduled a presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for next week in the Rose Garden."

"Long overdue," agreed Hayes. "I wonder what the aliens thought about all this. They had to be monitoring our broadcasts."

"Can't tell you that, sir, but we shall know soon enough," replied the Jerry Wasserstein, White House Chief of Staff. "O'Neill and Dr. Jackson meet with the alien leader tomorrow morning."

"Did you tell them to say I'm a nice guy?" grinned the President.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Pentagon, Jack and Daniel waited to be summoned to meet the alien leader. Daniel tried to coach Jack for this historic meeting. Jack wasn't pleased. 

"C'mon Daniel, you and I have been through this dance before," huffed Jack. "I can be as diplomatic as the next guy."

"Well, I have never heard you described as a diplomat. I think antagonist was the word used." Daniel looked up through his glasses and pursed his lips. "Look all I am saying is that we are off to a good start with the aliens. They have said lots of nice things to you. So, you should be extra careful to be, well, charming back to them."

"Charming is good. I can be charming." Jack said innocently, "what?"

"I mean sometimes you can come off as a..." Daniel searched for the right word.

"Cynical Air Force guy?" finished Jack, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, if that's how you want to put it." Daniel shrugged and picked up the bouquet of flowers and shoved them at Jack.

"Is this really necessary?" Jack looked doubtful.

"Focus... 'Charming', as in Prince Charming!" Daniel coaxed, waving his hands like an orchestra conductor. "We know their leader is a noble Lady. So, be a Prince...Charming that is." Jack just rolled his eyes. Daniel could be such a geek.

"Ok, I'm Prince Charming. Sure thing, you betcha. Whatever. Can we go now?" He picked up the alien's communicator and activated the signal. "Do I look fat?"

"What?" Daniel looked away distracted.

"What?" said Jack. The transporter beam began.

People on the ground started to shout and point. The great alien ship was moving off. It rose at an incredible rate. And then it was gone. The newsies were having a bonanza. What could it mean?

* * *

Once the ship moved off, it was time for a Pentagon press conference. Col. Tom Rundell stood at the podium for the press conference. It was a real media circus today. Considering the President's speech the night before, the information was almost too much to digest. Again, the United Nations was in session in New York. They were throwing accusations at each other, in long-winded speeches couched in diplomatic speak. They were all pointing fingers and trying to take the credit simultaneously. 

Col. Rundell tapped the microphone and began the briefing. "At approximately 8 AM, Eastern Daylight Time, Major General Jack O'Neill boarded the alien ship that has been resting above this facility. Apparently, the ship was intended to shuttle the General to the base ship. His aide, Dr. Daniel Jackson, accompanies him. They are scheduled to meet with the alien leader on board the base ship in orbit above this planet. We do not know how long this meeting will last. That is all we know at this time. No questions, now." Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted questions. But Col. Rundell simply turned and exited the room.

* * *

On board the alien transport ship Jack took in his surroundings. _Sweet, some ride they have here._ He looked around at the plush compartment containing four anxious young attendants and an officious looking officer. 

"Howdy, folks. General Jack O'Neill. Nice to meet ya." He waved his hand in greeting. Everyone bowed low. Jack had managed a small head nod, when he looked over at Daniel imitating the bows he had just witnessed. Jack did a double take. Wow, that man could grovel with the best of them. "And this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, of SG-1."

One of the attendants fainted. "Oops," said Jack making no move to help the unfortunate boy. Daniel's eyebrows tried to crawl off his face. They just looked at each other, shrugged, and looked around.

"Welcome, to Our Great Lady's personal pinnace," said the officer. "On behalf of the captain, we hope your flight will be pleasant. The Captain asked me to enquire if you would like a tour of the bridge?"

"Cool! I mean, yes, that would be nice," agreed Jack.

Daniel looked confused. "So, where are we? And what are we flying?"

"We are on the ship that we sent to greet you. The pinnace, which rested above the Pentagon, was always intended to shuttle you topside. Now we are on the way to the base ship." The officer indicated that they should follow him. "After you, My Lord," said Jack to Daniel, who just looked at him in disbelief. Some things never changed.

Jack stepped off the lift or whatever you could call it. The thing went sideways as well as up and down. Someone called the crew to attention. The guiding officer requested permission to enter. Officiously, he announced, "Our Lord, Major General Jack O'Neill, the Great and Dr. Daniel Jackson, of SG-1. A tall young man in a well-decorated dress uniform granted that permission. He could not have been older than 25 years old. The man came forward and offered a slightly less severe bow. "Captain Amos, at your service My Lord General." He bowed to Dr. Jackson.

Jack managed a head nod and then stuck out his hand. "General Jack O'Neill, nice to meet you." The young man stared at the hand and then awkwardly offered his own. "Firm grip. I like that. So, this is your ship?"

"Yes, My Lord. I am in command. If I may show you around?" Captain Amos indicated the center consoles with data streaming above them in mid-air. Holographic displays showed the ship in relation to the planet and to the other ships. Young crewmembers bustled at their duties, trying not to stare.

The view screen came on. Both Jack and Daniel stopped in their tracks and exchanged concerned glances. Before them was a fleet of large ships. Some ships were larger than Goa'uld mother ships and most were larger than hatak class ships. There were ships of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Smaller ones darted to and fro. But one ship of gargantuan proportions filled the view screen as the pinnace approached it. The docking bay was large enough to hold dozens of these aircraft carrier sized shuttles. Jack looked over at Daniel and mouthed the words, 'holy crap.'

* * *

Finally, the SGC managed to dial out. The inability to get a lock on known addresses remained a mystery. General Landry was heartily put out with his situation. Standing in the Control Room, he waited for the Tok'ra to answer. 

"This is Thoran of the Tok'ra High Council. To whom am I speaking?" The voice of the contentious Tok'ra was not the one General Landry wanted to hear. Thoran was never very sympathetic to Earth.

"This is General Landry, commander of the SGC. Thank you for responding Councilor. We have a situation here on Earth. An alien fleet of massive proportions has assumed orbit and we can not raise the Asgaard."

"How may the Tok'ra be of assistance? You know we do not have a fleet of our own," replied Thoran.

"Aw c'mon Councilor," Gen. Landry was impatient with deception. "Ever since the Goa'uld were defeated many of their ships came into your possession. Have you got any ships that could reach the Asgaard Homeworld? And do you have any weapons that could assist us?"

"No we don't, General. Are the aliens attacking you?"

"No, not yet, but it is a possibility. We would appreciate any help you could render," Landry requested.

"We suggest that you contact your Jaffa friends. They command the most ships captured from the Goa'uld. And they have the most personnel. We cannot afford to spare the few we have. Besides, you have that advanced super-weapon which you will not show to us." Thoran sounded arrogant and intransient as usual.

"We'll remember this, Councilor. Landry out." Landry stood with his hands on his hips, looking grim. "Sergeant, contact the Jaffa Council on Dakara. Maybe some of them would be willing to help. See if Master Bratac is available. I want to talk to him or to Teal'c."

"Yes sir," replied Sgt. Harriman. "Dialing Dakara now, sir." The diminutive sergeant looked perplexed. "Sir, I can not get a lock."

"Again, why not?" queried Gen. Landry.

"I don't know sir, it just won't dial out." Sgt. Harriman looked worried. "Trying again." A few moments passed but the attempt failed. And another attempt failed as well. "Let me run a diagnostic, sir."

"Right, this is just too convenient. I am going to call the President." Landry strode out of the room in a hurry.

* * *

The crowds along the George Washington Parkway were thinning out since the alien ship departed. Besides, it was promising to be another record breaking high temperature day. The police were trying to sort out another accident involving frayed nerves and hot August sunshine. It was so hot and humid at only 9 A.M. that the news crew, by the van parked at the Navy-Marine Memorial, was actually considering a swim in the Potomac River. 

"Current is too swift here, Joe," observed the driver. "C'mon, there is nothing here anymore. Let's call in and find some other location where we might get a story."

"Maybe the editor will send us to Reagan National Airport to do a story on all the flight delays. At least we would be inside with some air-conditioning." The cameraman wiped sweat from his eyes. "I've had enough of the mosquitoes, too. They are just eating me alive here. You know Washington was built on a swamp? That's why we've got so many bugs."

"Yeah, well, at least the aliens aren't bug people," joked the driver. They both had a laugh.

"Did I ever tell you about the time a mosquito here got me and flew up the river there?" The cameraman pointed to the small hill. "He met up with his friend who said, where you taking that one, pointing at me. And my bug said, over yonder. Well, said his friend, the big ones over there will steal him from you."

"You're my decoy. They don't bother me so much. Get in," chuckled the driver, as he shut his door.

Fanning themselves in the parking lot were two older tourists who had stopped to see the alien ship. "Did you hear that Ethel? Those two newsmen said the aliens were really bug people. Somebody ought to say something. The government is covering up again!" She narrowed her eyes. "Did I tell you I marched on Washington during the Vietnam War? Humph! She wagged her finger. " You just can't trust the government." The other woman nodded her head vigorously.

* * *

In the White House, the President's staff tried to manage the situation with little success. The President and his Chief of Staff frowned at the message coming from the speaker phone. 

"This can't be good." The President looked at his Chief of Staff. "Jerry, the aliens just took O'Neill and Jackson. And now the Stargate can't dial out."

"Did we reach our allies?" asked Jerry Wasserstein, White House Chief of Staff.

"Some Tok'ra sonofabitch High Councilor refused to help. Told us to call the Jaffa. If that don't beat all. Landry is right. We are going to remember this. Call the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. I want the military to go to DefCon Two. And call the Kremlin, I want our allies to know why."

* * *

Lord Ba'al surveyed the communications center deep under his corporate headquarters. He smiled a satisfied smile. This new situation was progressing better than he had hoped. With his surveillance of the major powers, he knew more than any of them. Soon, he would be restored to power as the most powerful System Lord ever.

* * *

The room was opulent. The greeting delegation was turned out in high court style. Anticipation was palpable. Taking one final look around the room, Lady Anna noted all the details were in place and nodded to her staff. 

"I look fat," sighed Lady Anna. She looked down at herself and was not satisfied. "The dress is too full. It looks like I am hiding another person in here."

"Oh stop it. You look fine Anna," whispered Admiral Zay standing next to her. "You are just begging for a compliment." Women! They were the same vain creatures everywhere. And he had been to a few places. She was one of the most beautiful court ladies, courtesy of the biosculpt procedures everyone used to augment the standard genetic manipulations.

"I don't want to look fine. I want to look great. I want to look..." She came to attention as the door opened and fixed her best smile forward.

The room was more elegant than anything he had ever seen. He glanced around the room. Nice reception, thought Jack. He observed the captain of the shuttle bowing to the young woman in front of them. The captain introduced them in stentorian tones. "His Honor, Major General Jack O'Neill, the Great, and Dr. Daniel Jackson of SG-1, Heroes of the Battle of Vorash." Jack let a small smile slip. He was wearing all his medals on his dress blues, as the aliens had requested. They said it was to honor the lady. He wished he had his P-90 and a Kevlar vest. Oh well, such was diplomacy.

The Captain turned and introduced the lovely girl as Lady Anna, Third Lord of the Admiralty, with a slew of other titles that made no sense. Jack made a full head nod, not taking his eyes off her. He just stood there like a fool and stared. She was gorgeous. The woman had perfect features. She also had long chestnut brown hair draped gracefully. She might be twenty, soon. And then he realized everyone in the room was little more than a teenager. The oldest looked about 25 years old. The Lady dipped a curtsy and smiled up at him. Everyone else offered extreme bows. The silence was deafening. No one made a move. And he just stared on. That is he did until Daniel nudged him. "Jack?"

"Right. Jack O'Neill. General. United States Air Force. Planet Earth.

Pleased to meet you, ma'am," he coughed. He was flustered. "Daniel?"

"I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson, My Lady. Welcome to our planet, Earth. Ah, these flowers are for you, My Lady. These are special flowers, given on great occasions. We call them roses." Jack quickly stuck his hand out with the red flowers.

Lady Anna hesitated, considered, and then, moved forward gracefully to accept. The girl looked up at him with sparkling deep green eyes, searching him. Finally, she decided to reach out her slender feminine hands to the flowers, just brushing his hand in the process. He could not look away. She held him in a steady gaze. It seemed as though everything stopped. Jack could hear each of his heartbeats. An eternity seemed to pass. As the woman bent her head to smell the richly scented flowers, Time resumed.

"Love what you've done with the place," declared Jack to Lady Anna. He gestured to the opulent setting where she received him. The alien base ship orbiting Earth was a marvel. The aliens had spared no effort to provide creature comforts. They even had a cake.

"We are grateful you are pleased, My Lord General. We welcome you on behalf of His Majesty King David, the Sovereign of The Commonwealth of Planets." Lady Anna continued to rattle off a lengthy list of titles belonging to the King and made effusive welcoming statements. Jack stopped listening; knowing Daniel would decipher what it all meant.

"That was nice, really, a nice greeting, ma'am. I suppose I should say something profound at this moment," Jack paused, thinking, "nothing comes to mind." He looked around. "Daniel?"

Daniel had that look that said he was on to something. "Holy Hannah," Daniel reacted with a gasp. "Jack, d-d-d-do you know who these people are? Look behind you at the wall!" He gesticulated wildly at the wall, unable to get the words out. "And, look at the door!" Daniel rushed to the door, and began reading the markings.

"What?" Jack replied. "Daniel, stop it. You are upsetting the aliens." He nodded over at the aliens, who looked at them with alarm. A few of them looked as if they were going to flee.

"Sorry about him, ma'am. He gets like this. It's what he does." Jack put on his patient voice. "Daniel, don't keep us waiting, it's rude."

Daniel whirled around to face Jack and the Lady. He spoke excitedly. "Jack, they are not aliens! They are humans like us, from Earth like us. They are descendents of the ancient people of Mesopotamia. Jack, do you realize what this says?"

"What?" Jack shook his head.

"Of course you don't. It's in a variation of Aramaic, a language from the time of Babylon." Daniel was speaking rapidly now. "The term Aramaic is derived from Aram, the fifth son of Shem, the firstborn of Noah." Jack motioned Daniel to get to the point.

"Use of the Aramaic language became common by the period of the Chaldean Empire, sometime between 626 to 539 B.C. That's Babylon. Aramaic became the official language of the Imperial government in Mesopotamia and was in common use until the spread of Greek around 331 B.C." Daniel pointed to the doorway inscriptions. "Jack, it's incredible!"

"What?" demanded Jack in exasperation. "If I have to say 'what' one more time, so help me..."

Daniel threw his hands out wide, "These are the Ten Commandments." Daniel took a breath. "And this ship is named the, 'Commonwealth Starship O'Neill, the Great!'

Jack blew out a small whistle._ "Hokey smokes... Bullwinkle!"_

* * *

Commander Derek hunted Goa'uld with professional vengence. The Goa'uld Apophis had wiped out Derek's entire planet, including Derek's family. Understandably, Derek hated the Goa'uld. He was ruthless conducting special operations and gathering intelligence. One thing was certain. The Goa'uld were on this planet. As Commander Derek stood before the active Stargate on board the ship, several dozen young men and women appeared through the event horizon. They had grim expressions. As a unit, they moved through the ship to the launch bay. The hunt was on. 

"Base, this is Hunter. Request a go." Commander Derek sat in his ship. The team was split between several different craft of varying designs. Using the resources of the base ship, Derek had found the enemy in various sites around the planet. Some were in crowded facilities. Casualties would be heavy if things got out of hand. They would strike at the more remote sites first. His team was trained for the worst. He hoped for the best.

"Hunter this is Base. The Lady gives you her blessing. You may launch when ready. Good hunting, Commander."

* * *

Just as mysteriously as it had ceased, the Stargate became operational again at the SGC. They were hunting for their allies to come help. The Tok'ra had welched. Now they wanted to reach the Jaffa while teams on K'tau tried to reach the Asgaard. 

"Sir, the Stargate is operational again," Sgt. Walter Harriman informed General Landry.

General Landry looked up, "Very well, Sgt. Call the Jaffa Council on Dakara. And call..."

"... in for updates to all the off-world teams, sir. Everyone checked in ok. Sir, Master Bratac is standing by on the com," Walter reported.

"Coming." General Landry muttered under his breath, "I'll never get to yell at anyone."

Col. Mitchell spoke through the microphone. "Master Bratac, it will only be a moment longer. Ah, here he is."

"This is General Landry. Master Bratac, I need your help."

"I have heard of the alien fleet from Colonel Mitchell," broke in Bratac. "If their ships are so formidable, I do not know what it is you plan to do, even with the largest of the mother ships we captured." Bratac paused. "Worse, the Jaffa Council is not in agreement about mounting a military expedition to Earth. They are afraid of the Ancient Weapon. I understand their concerns. It is not obvious how it would distinguish between the different ships' intentions."

"Yes, you are right. I did not think of that. Let me try to find out if there is an answer. In the meantime, have any of your people heard of an outfit called, 'The Star Commonwealth of Planets'?" Gen. Landry inquired.

"We have heard that advanced humans are scouring the Galaxy for any remaining System Lords. It is possible that they are the ones. And they have no love for the Jaffa." Bratac shook his head. "If these are the people, I should warn you. They are as relentless as they are ruthless."

"Thank you, Master Bratac. I shall inform the President. Landry out." He turned to Col. Mitchell remarking, "This just gets piled higher and deeper." With a shrug he marched into his office to make the call.

President Hayes hung up the phone, looking pensive. After a moment of thought, he lifted his eyes to his Off-world Affairs Advisor. "George, it's not what we thought. Bratac says the aliens are here to hunt Goa'uld. We know Ba'al and Kinsey are here somewhere. Bratac says the aliens are relentless. And the Jaffa are afraid to come. Between the huge fleet and the Ancient Weapon, the Jaffa think they will be killed in the cross fire."

"I'd like to know how they found out there are Goa'uld here," stated retired Lt. General Hammond. Hammond worked in the White House as a presidential advisor. After all, who would know more about off-world affairs? "For that matter, I would like to know where these aliens get all their information. We've gone to DefCon 2, as you ordered sir. The Russians have matched our readiness position. If it comes to a fight, the aliens will get one. But I think they have something else in mind. Just a gut feeling, but something tells me they want more."

President Hayes turned up the volume on the TV to hear a TV commentator saying there were reports that these aliens were hostile bug people. Charges of a government cover up ensued. He flipped to the weather channel. The forecast for the next several days was for thunderstorms, record heat near 100 degrees, and high humidity. Summer in Washington was brutal.

* * *

On board the 'O'Neill,' a man approached and whispered something to Admiral Zay. The Admiral nodded to Lady Anna. It was time to talk business. The remains of the cake and the dignitaries in the room were cleared out. 

"My Lord General," began Anna. "We have asked you for the favor of this audience to discuss matters both great and terrible." She waited for Jack to focus his attention.

"So, what's on your minds, kids?" asked Jack softly.

The Lady raised her eyebrows, paused, and then decided to ignore it. It was a different culture after all. She spoke to him gently, "We have come to you for several pressing reasons. My Lord General, your name is legendary throughout this galaxy. We never expected that your own people would not know of your great deeds, compassionate acts, and exceptional courage. But it is written that a prophet is without honor in his own land. That your people never knew about your shows your case is no exception." Anna smiled a small smile.

"Go on, ma'am. I understand. It's not your fault," said Jack quietly.

"We are a large, peaceful people, My Lord General. We have been a peaceful people for over two thousand years. In the two thousand years that we have traveled the stars, we have never made war on anyone. But the Goa'uld attacked and destroyed one of our planets. We had no fleet, as we do today. Our fleet, this force, is all the result of that attack. We must change our ways and learn to defend ourselves."

Daniel could not contain himself. "You have had interstellar travel for **two thousand years**?" Realization dawned upon him. "Somehow, you accessed the Goa'uld knowledge a long time ago! Why haven't you come back before now? You had the ships. You are here now."

"You are correct, Dr. Jackson. Soon after our abduction from Earth, our ancestors rose up and overthrew the System Lord Ishtar. We captured her ship. With the knowledge we could access, we taught ourselves and advanced. However, we could not locate Earth, because the memory banks on her ship were damaged in the revolt. Finally, we have found Earth, the planet we call the Holy Mother Planet. It is a joyous moment for our people. And it is a desperate one." She sat back to wait for them to process the information. O'Neill was obviously doing some heavy thinking.

"Are you thinking of moving back home?" Jack was doing threat assessment and did not like what heard.

"No, my Lord General. We are more numerous than the stars in the sky."

Jack frowned and waited for the shoe to fall.

"Now, we inhabit 21 planets and three habitable moons across 26 star systems. Our people number more than 38 billion souls." Lady Anna watched them register surprise. "We cannot 'move home' as you put it," answered the Lady.

Jack and Daniel just stared back at her; their mouths open in shock. " So, I shouldn't get the guest room ready, eh?" snarked Jack.

* * *

"This is Kendal Cross in the CNB Washington News Room bringing you this breaking news. At approximately 3 pm this afternoon here in Washington, alien ships descended over the Internal Revenue Service Headquarters on Constitution Avenue. An energy barrier was erected for approximately five minutes, trapping everyone inside. Alien assault teams entered the buildings by beaming into the Commissioner's office and abducted the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and the Director of Audits. Three people were stunned in the assault. No explanation is available." 

Kendall turned to someone off camera and listened. "Excuse me, there is additional breaking news. Today in Russia, at approximately the same time, alien ships were seen outside the city of St. Petersburg. Reports are coming in that the chairman of Rostov Oil was abducted from his summer villa."

A staffer walked on the set to hand Kendall a paper. She paused to read it. "And, we have just learned that aliens are conducting summary abductions of officials and businessmen in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, London, and New York City. The same methods are reported in each case. So far, no deaths are reported. But, the bystanders stunned in the attacks are in local hospitals receiving medical care."

Kendall's face registered shock as she listened to her ear microphone. "We have more shocking news. Reports just in say that former Vice-President Kinsey was among those abducted in New York. Stay tuned to CNB for up to the minute breaking news as this story unfolds." Kendall looked at her anchor in amazement. And the show cut to commercial.

Elsewhere the hunter confronted his prey. Derek stood face to face with Ba'al. His weapon leveled upon his target at the kill setting. "You pathetic human. You can't kill a god." Ba'al smirked a satisfied grin and vanished in a beam of light. Anger flashed across Derek's face. The hunt would continue.

* * *

"Ok, let's have it. I mean why are you here?" Jack wanted to know. 

"It is complicated, My Lord General." Lady Anna hesitated looking back and forth at both of them.

"Of course it is." Looking at Daniel, Jack said, "this should be good." He turned his attention back to her and composed his face.

"We are here to ask for an alliance." Lady Anna fixed a hard stare at Jack. "We intend to finish the job you started. We want the Goa'uld dead."

"The Goa'uld are defeated. They are few and the Jaffa are free. I don't understand what you want to accomplish. The Jaffa are hunting the remaining System Lords now," Daniel informed her.

"The Jaffa," sneered Lady Anna, "are violent, dangerous, warmongering fools. They cannot cooperate among themselves. Their attempts at unification will fail, for just these reasons." She leaned forward. "I cannot allow others to hold our fate in their hands, especially, not the Jaffa."

"Oh, I would not count them out just yet," countered Jack.

"Yes, you are right. We cannot count out the Jaffa. My Lord, just what do you think the Jaffa will do with themselves now that they do not fight for the Goa'uld? They know only war. Their whole society, their whole economy, their whole religion is geared to make war. They make war on each other and they make war on the human race. Worse, the symbiotes they need to survive are precious scarce. They will turn on each other. Then they will turn on us."

"While I take great pride in my title, Mr. Positive, that thought had crossed my mind." Jack debated whether or not to tell her about Tretonin, the medicine that replaced a Jaffa's need for a symbiote. Jack decided against disclosure. He wanted to hear more. Better to agree and keep her talking. He gave Daniel a look that said 'shut up.'

"The Goa'uld and the Jaffa are not the only problems out there. They had," She took a deep breath, "they had Associates, who are as bad as the Goa'uld. The bad news is that the Goa'uld are in the process of rising again. And they know about us. Given the chance, they will try to wipe us all out. My people are the most advanced humans, ever. We shall become their first priority. And make no mistake; they will come for Earth, again. They are here even now."

"How do you know all this?" Jack looked worried. "Where do you get your information?" It was time to find out just how much these people knew. _Did they know Ba'al was here?_

"We have been gathering intelligence on you for some time. We know you are at the nexus of events that defeated the Goa'uld. We know you destroyed Apophis at the Battle of Vorash. We know you killed many System Lords, even Ra." She fixed a hard gaze on Jack. "We have read extensive files from the SGC on all of you."

"_What!_ How?" Jack jumped to his feet.

"We learned to read your language from the materials you left with the Enkarans. It was not difficult," answered Lady Anna evasively.

"Alien humor." Jack sat down, regaining his composure.

"It's true," countered The Lady. "Much of our information came from you. But more did not. She weighed the decision to throw him a bone. Anna could feel his anger. "The SGC is completely compromised by alien surveillance devices. And, no, they are not ours." Lady Anna waited for the reaction.

Jack glared at her. "Compromised." It explained a few things. "What do you intend to do with all this information you have gathered? Feel like sharing?" He let the question hang for a moment. She regarded him calmly. "Ok you want to be allies, what are you going to do for us, is the better question."

"We can offer your world the means to advance hundreds of years past your current level of development. We intend to forge an alliance that will allow all our people to survive and thrive." Lady Anna regarded him coldly.

Jack regarded her suspiciously. "All that, in exchange for what?"

"In exchange, we want information and knowledge. And, we want certain items unique to Earth." Lady Anna felt his resolve harden against her.

"What could we have that would interest you? You are obviously way smarter than we are," responded Jack sarcastically. "And it has been our experience that advanced societies are not willing to part with their advanced knowledge or technology. The Tollan taught us that."

"Hmm, the Tollan. We knew them. Very sad about them really," replied Lady Anna. She lifted a glass to sip some water. Her eyes watched him digest that news. His face revealed little, but his eyes could not hide his soul. "Understand this, My Lord, we are **not **the Tollan. We believe that the human race cannot afford to languish in ignorance or isolation. We can no longer be weak, or backward, or prey for each other."

Daniel saw the look on Jack's face and knew that resolve. "My Lady, Jack, please, it seems we want the same things. We want peace and security. I think we can agree on that." He turned to the woman," Please understand, that we are afraid of you. We don't know you. But we would like to. Tell us, what are you looking for exactly?"

"Hear me My Lord. What we want most, and this is not negotiable," the Lady looked at him squarely in the eye, "we want **_you_**, my Lord General Jack O'Neill."

_

* * *

Source: (F. Rosenthal, "Aramaic Studies During the Past Thirty Years", THE JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES, pp 81-82, Chicago: 1978.)_


	3. Misunderstandings

**Misunderstandings**

The Situation Room in the basement of the White House was abuzz with activity. Reports came in from all over the world about the alien's incursions and abductions. The events seemed random but those in the room knew there was a method to the choices. The aliens were hunting Goa'uld. The door opened and people came to attention. President Hayes walked in flanked by his staff. "Ok people, what have we got?" President Hayes surveyed the room with a grim expression.

"Mr. President, sir, since about 3 pm local time, thirty-eight persons have been abducted. There have been many injuries but no deaths. In each case, the aliens inserted teams designed to pinpoint, neutralize, and remove targets." General Hammond glanced at the wall. . At this time, there seems to be no further activity."

"How many of the abductees are ours, George," asked the President?

"Eleven are ours, sir," General Hammond reported. "Most of those were taken out of corporate settings or from the Internal Revenue Service. It seems that Goa'uld central was in the basement of the IRS here in Washington." Hammond just shook his head. Everyone suppressed smiles. Americans share distaste for the operations of their tax agency.

"Well, folks, I wouldn't go cheating on next year's income tax returns just yet," snapped the President. "Remember those folks are good American citizens doing their jobs." He turned to Hammond. "Were we able to communicate with the alien base ship?"

"So far, all they said was that they were conducting an operation for the benefit of us all. We protested but they offered no other explanation." Hammond narrowed his eyes. "It seems awfully high handed to me, sir. Especially after announcing that they come in peace."

"Yes, but to be fair. We have done the same thing here when we feel we are chasing bad guys. So I am not ready to brand them enemies. But we shall demand an apology." The President paused and sighed. "It just doesn't feel right when it's being done to us. Does it, George?" Hammond just stood there like stone. He did not like this one bit. President Hayes looked thoughtful. "Admit it George, we have sent in SG teams to other worlds to take down Goa'uld without warning the populace. Then we explain it to them afterwards. But those were primitive societies. Have we heard from O'Neill yet?"

"No sir. The aliens assure us he is well and being treated with the utmost respect. They say he is in conference with their leader. Absolutely, no one up there is willing to interrupt. And the Tok'ra communication devices seem to be jammed." Hammond looked about as frustrated as he felt.

"Any word from the Asgaard?" Hammond shook his head. "Alright, leave our defense forces at DefCon 2 and keep me apprised." The weight of his responsibilities showed on his face. The President turned around to leave. His shoulders sagged just a little, tonight.

* * *

Commander Derek stood before his Lady his eyes bright. The day had been theirs. All thirty-eight targets were apprehended. The medical bay was busy removing the symbiotes. And he was receiving the high praise from his lord. Lady Anna was indeed satisfied. She reached out her hand to touch his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Commander Derek, you have my deepest gratitude for your handling of today's battle. You have my blessing." He bowed as she left the room. Yes, it had been a good day.

* * *

A bright light flashed in the Oval Office of the White House, and O'Neill appeared without Dr. Jackson. Secret Service Agents aimed their weapons. "Miss me?" joked General O'Neill, looking around the room and seeing all the intent faces. "What?" 

"Where's Dr. Jackson, General?" asked President Hayes.

"Oh, we dropped him off at the SGC. It seems Daniel has made one of his discoveries. And it's a whopper." Jack looked around. He could tell that tension in the room was running high. "Did I miss something?"

"You could say so. The aliens have conducted surgical strikes against specific persons all over the planet. We have reason to believe those persons targeted were Goa'uld." General Hammond gestured to a seat. Jack's eyes opened wide. "Take a seat Jack, you debrief right now."

"So what do they want, besides hunting Goa'uld down here?" asked Hayes.

"Me, sir. They want me. They, um, like me, sir." Jack smirked and added, "They say they want an alliance with Earth. And they want an unspecified number of things 'unique to Earth' along with all our knowledge." He drummed his fingers on the table. "It was the best suck up job I have ever seen. They are after something big. That's for sure."

Suck up job? Is that a proper military term, General," Hammond demanded? "Care to elaborate?"

Jack smiled a small ironic self-satisfied grin and said, "They named the big base ship after me, sir. Check this out. According to Daniel, the name of the ship is the 'Commonwealth Starship O'Neill the Great'." Jack looked down and shrugged. No one else was as amused. Jack's face became guarded. Although truth be told, he did like the recognition.

"You have a fan club, Jack. Well, you were up there long enough. Did you learn anything to suggest that these aliens are hostile," asked President Hayes?

"Daniel says that they are not aliens, but actually humans descended from the ancient peoples of Earth. He could read their language. So to answer your question, no, I have nothing specific to indicate that they are hostile." Jack looked thoughtful. "It is weird that they would act so unilaterally without even discussing it with me after so much, er, ...sucking up. Well, you have to wonder."

"They obviously did not trust us down here. So, they made a preemptive strike." Hayes looked grim. It's just unsettling that they are so arrogant. The whole situation is so outrageous. General, what was your impression of their leader," asked the President? "We understand it is a woman. Did you meet with her?"

"Yes sir. She was a knockout." Jack gestured with both hands making a woman's curves. No one was appreciating the humor. "She might be twenty years old. Come to think of it, they are all quite young. And that young woman is as sharp as they come. Her name is Lady Anna, some Lord of the Admiralty title, and very high ranking. Even the Admiral deferred to her. And yet, there is something very off about her. I can't quite put my finger on it." Jack rubbed his hand across his eyes and across his cheek. "It will come to me. Anyway, we are scheduled to meet again tomorrow morning. I got her to agree to let SG-1 come and take a look at the ship and meet their senior staff and officers."

"That's good. Jack, do we know their Homeworld's Gate address? Anything more?" asked Hammond. "We need to check them out on their Homeworld, too."

"Worlds, sir, homeworlds," corrected Jack. "They are not just from one planet." He paused and looked at each person there. "The Commonwealth consists of **26 star systems** with a population of **_38 BILLION peop_le**. And they have had space travel for **_two thousand years_**." He let that sink in on each face and watched the reactions. He heard a few groans. Shock and disbelief played against this new reality. "They are way smarter than we are."

* * *

Several hours later, Kendall Cross sat across from Col. Tom Rundell, the Pentagon PR man. The camera lights were bright. The interview began. Kendall's first question came unexpectedly. "Can you confirm what we are hearing, that the aliens are really bug people?" Col. Rundell fought the urge to roll his eyes. How this rumor got started was beyond him. But he had to sit on this story and fast. 

"No, ma'am. They are definitely not bug people, as you put it. I have myself met their emissaries. They are as human looking as either of us. We believe that they are descendants of Earth just like us. Millennia ago, many of the ancient peoples of Earth were stolen away by real aliens, called the Goa'uld, just like the President said in his speech to Congress."

"Why did they abduct our people today? They said they came in peace. Are they lying?" Kendall had a hard reporters edge to her voice.

"From what they have told us, and we have confirmed this fact, the Commonwealth was chasing real alien bad guys and found some here on Earth. They made preemptive strikes and captured the bad guys, Ms. Cross." Col. Rundell launched into an explanation of the Goa'uld and what they were doing on Earth. "So actually, they did us all a favor.

"A favor. The riots that ensued have resulted in many deaths," Kendall retorted. "In fact, the riots are continuing tonight across the globe. What is the President doing about all this?"

"Ma'am, the President is working with world leaders to restore order. Rundell turned to face into the camera, "and, he has sent Maj. General Jack O'Neill back up to the alien ship to make sure the Commonwealth does not do that again. From General O'Neill's last visit up there, we know that they have asked for an alliance. So I am sure these incursions are just misunderstandings."

"What makes you so sure they will cease their hostilities against us just because General O'Neill asks them?" Kendall pursued the issue. "They took former Vice-President Robert Kinsey out of New York today, as well as many important people from around the world."

"First of all, we do not believe the activities today were a hostile move against us. While we gave the Commonwealth no authorization, their actions helped us. Second, they have begun to return many of the people that they took this afternoon. They removed the symbiotes and healed the host bodies. Former Vice-President Kinsey is resting comfortably at Bethesda Naval Hospital tonight. And most importantly, they seem to have the highest regard for General O'Neill. In point of fact, they have named one of their ships after him." Tom sat back crossing his legs, and watched her reaction. "The base ship is named, _The O'Neill_." Kendall's eyes widened in surprise. And the producer cut to commercial.

* * *

Daniel appeared in a flash of light. He looked around to discover himself standing in front of the Stargate on level 28 of Stargate Command inside Cheyenne Mountain. He looked up to see Sgt. Walter Harriman grabbing the phone. The alarms went off. SF's came running into the Gate room. Daniel held up his hands. His glasses were falling down his nose. He did not dare risk lowering an arm to push them back up. "Hi guys, I'm home." Daniel protested as an airman grabbed his arms. "You don't have to do that, I'm me." And off they went to the infirmary to make sure it was he. General Landry observed from the briefing room, and nodded his head. 

An hour later Daniel was sitting around the table in the briefing room. Daniel continued his report on his visit to the alien ship. Around the table were General Landry, and the flagship team of the SGC. SG-1's Lt. Col. Mitchell, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c had the band back together. Daniel went down his list. "They claim that there are some new bad guys out there who are about to come gunning for all of us. They don't trust or even like the Jaffa." Teal'c raised an eyebrow and looked offended. "And they claim that the SGC is compromised and under surveillance by other aliens."

"I wonder how they know that, if they are not doing some of their own surveillance too," stated Col. Mitchell. "And you say they have the Ten Commandments inscribed on every doorway? My bible thumping Grandma would be proud," he grinned.

"We've come across very few signs of such things in our travels," added Carter. "It's encouraging. And I can't wait to see the alien ship. So they really named the ship after the General?" Carter looked amazed. Daniel nodded. "Well, if they so strongly believe in a common philosophy with us, maybe this could be a good first contact," offered Carter. "On the other hand, such belief has never stopped anyone on this planet from doing awful things."

"Indeed. Your western history is filled with examples that contradict the teachings of your Bible. Nevertheless, we shall have to persuade them that the Jaffa can be formidable allies." Teal'c stated with emphasis.

"Jack wants SG-1 to go up to the alien ship tomorrow morning to meet with some of the senior staff. He has more meetings with their leader, Lady Anna. After he hears about these incursions, Jack is going to have plenty to say to her this time." Daniel looked around the table. "Something tells me that they know too much and yet not enough. I got the impression these folks want some big-ticket items. My guess is that the Commonwealth is evaluating how to get them. I just don't get the angle."

"That being why are they offering so much?" Landry impatiently got to his feet. "Permission to go."

* * *

Emmett Bregman barely looked up from the files he was reading, when Major Davis entered the conference room. A lot had happened in the last two and a half years since he filmed at the SGC. The lives lived by these people were incomprehensible. No wonder the President and the military wanted someone who could explain this all to the People. 

"Mr. Bregman, General O'Neill sends you his compliments. He would like to know if you can be ready tomorrow morning to film an interview with a very important person." Major Davis studied the older man's face.

"Sure, who do you have in mind? It would help if I could do some preparation in advance. Do you have a file for me to read, a biography, what?" asked the journalist. Major Davis was all business all the time. Bregman was tired. It had been a long day of intense study and note taking.

"General O'Neill asks that you accompany him to the alien base ship. He wants you to interview the leader of the aliens." Major Davis waited for the response. This should be good he thought. It was a good bet that Bregman never imagined that this would be the assignment. He was right.

"_WHAT_? Up, up, there," Bregman asked dumfounded, pointing his forefinger upwards. "Are you kidding? That's great. No that's incredible. You mean me, on an alien space ship, up there, in _ORBIT_?" He paused and thought a moment. "Things aren't going so well are they? Or _ARE_ they? I mean, with the abductions, phew, wow, are you sure I am coming back?" He pointed downward.

"The persons abducted today were Goa'uld. The Commonwealth doctors removed the symbiotes and are currently returning the people taken." Bregman whistled. Major Davis continued. "We have no reason to believe that you would be in danger. General O'Neill is very upset about the abductions and the consequences here on Earth. The President and he agree that an apology should be made by their leader and broadcast. There is also the matter of a nasty rumor. There is a widespread belief that the aliens are really bug people. They need to be shown for what they are, human beings. Already there are charges of a government cover-up." Major Davis looked uncomfortable.

"And that's where I come in," Bregman cocked his head and looked pensive. "Sure, I can do that. But, in the interest of efficiency, I want the same camera team as before. We are already accustomed to each other."

* * *

With a rush of activity, Lady Anna entered the room. All made their signs of respect. She looked at each of the newcomers and smiled in satisfaction. There were days when it was especially good to be powerful. You got to meet interesting people. Today was one of those days. Here they all stood together, Lord O'Neill and his team SG-1, including Teal'c, the Jaffa. 

Derek's own intelligence team had spent the day culling through Stargate Command's files. The SGC reports indicated that O'Neill had killed many other ancient System Lords, including Ra. Most importantly to Derek, O'Neill had killed Apophis. Apophis had destroyed Derek's entire planet, murdering his family. Considering the level of development of this planet, Derek found that claim bizarre. Equally bizarre was the strange alliance between O'Neill and the Jaffa named Teal'c. A human was the commander of the former First Prime of Apophis. That human was Jack O'Neill.

As far as Derek was concerned, the defeat of the System Lords brought more questions than answers. Scattered intelligence reports indicated that O'Neill was behind that defeat. At every turn, the name of O'Neill was repeated. Derek reviewed the questions in his mind: what role did O'Neill truly play; why, after all these millennia, did the Jaffa rebel; and how did the System Lords meet their collective defeat?

Derek suppressed an urge to kill the Jaffa, reminding himself that this was the famous Teal'c of SG-1. Previously, this Jaffa had been Teal'c, First Prime of Apophis, the destroyer of worlds. But, a guest was sacrosanct. There was plenty of time.

The thought occurred to him that his life was better than he could ever have imagined. After the terrible tragedy of his son Charlie's death more than a decade ago, Jack was despondent. For that reason alone, he had accepted the suicide assignment to Abydos. That mission, the first roundtrip through the Stargate to an alien planet, had opened the universe to Jack's people and unleashed a terrible enemy. Jack led his people through that danger and jeopardy to this day. His efforts seemed to be bearing fruit. The Goa'uld were defeated. The Jaffa were free and allies of Earth. Powerful aliens, such as the Asgaard and the Tok'ra, were friends and defenders of his world. New aliens sought an alliance with Earth. And best of all, Major General Jack O'Neill sat in orbit on board an alien space ship named for him, looking at a beautiful young woman, who wanted him. 

Lady Anna observed Jack in his reverie. Jack conveyed to her his government's temper tantrum. Earth's officials objected to yesterday's abductions of Goa'uld infested persons from Earth. The security of his planet was such a mess that the Commonwealth could not risk alerting the enemy to the strikes. The first priority of the Commonwealth had been to contain the enemy incursion. Jack wanted assurances that she would not order more unilateral actions or preemptive strikes. Unfortunately, circumstances were not that simple.

Jack shook himself from his musings. His mandate was to secure alien technology and knowledge to defend Earth. The Lady offered everything he had sought since the first time he went through the Stargate. And what did they want in return? The Lady said they wanted knowledge and some specific things unique to Earth. How bad could that be? He did not want to think about that answer. Jack decided to take the plunge. "Look, I have to know that we have an understanding that this sort of behavior will not be repeated. I want your word on that, ma'am." Lady Anna regarded him thoughtfully. She had solved a terrible problem for these primitives, so what were they bitching about? She cocked her head to one side. Jack spoke softly and deliberately. "We have to ask you to meet with our leader, the President of the United States, in order to calm the people down there. They are terrified. We want to broadcast the meeting where you give him these assurances." He waited for her to think. She seemed uncertain about something.

Lady Anna remembered the proverb that kind words turn away wrath. Oh well. "My Lord, I understand your complaint. First, I must tell you that we reserve the right to do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves against enemies of our people. That being said, we seek an alliance where we can act in unison. Unfortunately, the situation down on the planet is such that we cannot begin to act in concert with you until security breaches are remedied. I must stress to you the importance of securing your planet from alien surveillance. And you must take action to secure your nation's information from internal spying. We can assist you with the necessary security procedures. However, there is the danger that a political imbalance will be created between the powers of this world." Lady Anna sensed relief in the General. He was wary, but somewhat satisfied.

"What remedies do you mean," asked Jack? "Are you offering some of that advanced technology you offered before? And, what is the price? And don't say me. I am honored, but please be serious."

"But My Lord General, I was completely serious when I stated my terms. We must have you." Lady Anna felt him tense. Negotiations always began like this. Each sided tested to see if the terms were firm. "My Lord, my people need you and we shall not settle for a 'no.' Whatever you offer, the price must include you, My Lord."

"I hate to disappoint a lady, but until I know more about you and what you want, the answer **_IS_** no." Jack regarded her intently. These negotiations were like pulling teeth. He wondered what the team had already discovered this morning. Having the team together was reassuring. Whatever these folks had in mind, SG-1 would get to the bottom of it.

"Then, tell me, My Lord General, what would ease your apprehensions? We have been acquainted for less than three days. Yes, trust and friendship take time. But, you have an immediate problem, the lack of security from existing alien surveillance devices. If you want to wait years until we can forge a friendship filled with goodwill, fine. We can depart and let nature take its course. We can wait. Can you?" Lady Anna was fishing, but would he take the bait?

Oh she was good, thought Jack. He knew she was also telling the truth about the SGC being compromised. Ever since she told Jack about the devices, O'Neill had ordered Landry to get teams of experts combing the SGC for the devices. So far they had found two. But who owned those devices was anyone's guess. They were not from this world, according to the reports. He could not afford to wait to correct the problem. "OK, let's make a small trade to show mutual goodwill. You agree to an interview and meet with my leader, the President of the United States. Please, Lady Anna, say something reassuring to the people down there. And I shall do something for you; say an interview for your press people. You do have media types," Jack asked?

"Yes, My Lord. Your proposal is wise. We should make mutual gestures of cooperation if we are to become friends and allies. My people would be curious to hear a greeting from your own honored self." This was better than she ever thought possible. Without showing her ecstatic delight, Lady Anna solemnly agreed. "You have my permission for the interview."

"Thank you ma'am. I am sure it is just the first effort of many we shall make together." Jack rose to summon Emmett Bregman and contact his team. "I need a recess to consult with my people and to make the arrangements, My Lady." He was getting better at this diplomacy stuff. Ha, and Daniel doubted me. Jack was proud of himself.

In the meantime, Teal'c was cooling his heals in the anteroom to the Lady's office. He had been there for sometime. Teal'c was tired of being stared at by the children, who were everywhere on this ship. What they were doing he could not guess. But they were afraid of him. So he tried again to smile and appear friendly. It wasn't working. What kind of people were these who would endanger their own children on such a dangerous expedition?

On another deck, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter was with Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell. They were in one of the manufacturing facilities on board the huge spacecraft. Carter was in her element and delighted with the tour. Mitchell was waiting for something special to happen. Being with SG-1 was magic as far as he was concerned. It was just like he imagined it would be; going to alien space ships; solving important riddles; and checking out aliens. He had no clue about the stuff around him. Oh yeah, this pony ride was already a good time. Carter grabbed his sleeve and tugged. "Do you see that? It's a ZPM, a Zero Point Module!" She tugged so hard he leaned over. She whirled around fast to the young officer guiding them through the facility. "Where did you get that?" She looked at him excitedly.

"We made it, right here," Commander Eli replied. "Do you know what it is, Col. Carter?" He was surprised people this undeveloped knew anything. But then he reminded himself that they were SG-1, the primitives who defeated the Goa'uld. They must have learned something along the way. But the Goa'uld did not use ZPMs. This fact that she knew about a ZPM was interesting. These people were such a set of contradictions. He assumed a patient attitude and waited.

"Yes, a ZPM derives its power from vacuum energy. That energy is derived from a self-contained region of subspace time. It could power a whole city." She looked at Eli with amazement. " You _MADE_ a ZPM? I assume you use it to power the ship." Carter was excited. Mitchell blew a small whistle. The Commander smiled and shrugged as if to say of course. Mitchell looked at Carter's bright expression. Carter sparkled with the look of a kid in a candy store. Oh yes, this was worth it.

The doors to the Lady's office opened. The children focused their attention toward the doorway. Teal'c stood waiting for O'Neill. As the General exited, Teal'c could see something had been accomplished. The Lady came out, too. She approached Teal'c and made a Jaffa gesture of greeting, "Tec'ma'Te, Master Teal'c. We are honored to have you here this day." He smiled. Perhaps they did not dislike Jaffa so much after all. He bowed and replied, "Tec'ma'tec, Lady Anna."

"General O'Neill, we have assigned to you a guide to take you around the ship." Lady Anna beckoned to a little girl with brown hair and big soft eyes. "I shall await your team, My Lord." Turning to Teal'c, the Lady addressed him respectfully. "Master Teal'c, General O'Neill is about to give instructions for the interview. While we are waiting, would you join me for midmorning tea?" She looked up at him with a beaming smile. Then, she gestured for him to come inside. Teal'c looked over at O'Neill who put his hand on Teal'c's shoulder and patted it.

"Go for it, buddy." And the General excused himself, grinning a self-satisfied smile. Teal'c raised an eyebrow and bowed to the Lady. "Indeed."

In the Lady's anteroom, one of the children motioned to O'Neill to come to the table. Jack looked dubious but smiled and approached. "Hello there, what can I do for you?" Jack was curious about the little girl. She looked about 10 years old. What were all these children doing all over the place?

"My Lord, I am here to help you. I am your Page, Rebecca. I know the ship really well. Our Lady asked me to take you first to your office." The girl looked up with big brown eyes. There was fear in those eyes.

"My office?" Jack was taken aback, and frowned in confusion. The girl cringed and backed away. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare you. C'mere." He sat down and held his hand out. The child regarded him warily. Clearly she was conflicted by her fear and curiosity. "I won't hurt you. You've gotta believe me." Her eyes were flooding. "Oh God." He reached out and took her arm gently. Jack loved children. He hated being the cause of her distress. She froze. He just sat there quietly letting her get used to him. Big tears rolled down her face. "Why are you afraid, Becky?" Jack spoke slowly. He wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Because you are going to kill me," she blurted out. She was sobbing now. She lost it.

"Kill you, oh no, never." Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Who told you such a thing?" He just stroked her hair gently.

"Everyone." The girl calmed down a little.

"Why do you think I would do that?" Jack wondered what was going on around this place. It was crawling with youngsters. They were staring at him ready to run. One hid under a table.

"You are O'Neill. You make war and kill people. Maybe you are going to kill me?" She started to lose it again. Jack felt angry. This was awful. How could he explain war to a child? What was she doing here anyway?

"I don't make war on children. If and I stress if, I kill someone, there has to be a very good reason, like, oh say, they are trying to kill me. But you and I are going to be friends." Jack tried a smile. "Now, dry those tears and show me that office, ok?" He waited for her to nod her head. "Ok? Hmm," he reached in his pocket and handed her a tissue. " Ok." He stood up. As they headed out the door, Rebecca looked up solemnly at him, and paused, then she put her small hand in his large one. Jeez, he wondered, what were these kids told about me?

The name on the door was in English and whatever their language was. It read 'Major General Jack O'Neill, U.S.A., Earth.' The office was spacious and elegant. Someone had furnished it to look like the Lady's office, with one exception. It had an American flag, hung backwards with the block of stars on the outside away from the pole. Nice touch. They were really trying hard to impress him. Jack took that fact as a good sign. It's just that they worked a little too hard.

"Becky, I need to contact my team, how do I use your com system?" Jack hoped the tears were over.

"You ask the computer to contact whomever you wish." She looked at him wondering why he asked.

"Oh, of course, I forgot. Thanks." Jack went to work asking the team to come to his new office. Then he checked out the swivel of his chair, going around a few times. Becky giggled. He looked over and smiled. "What? Do you want a turn?" Her eyes grew wide. She decided he wasn't so bad.

* * *

Teal'c sat before the alien leader, called The Lady. For a human female, she was a formidable presence. For a young one, she was disturbing. This one knew no fear. She regarded him steadily. He had the distinct impression she was sensing him. He was as curious about her as she was about him. He was certain. His stoic demeanor belied his discomfort. Caution would be advisable. She began her interrogation disguised as carefully polite conversation. This meeting held danger. He decided she would learn nothing. Nothing.

* * *

Daniel Jackson had been aboard alien ships before this trip. But this one was beyond anything he had ever encountered. For one thing, it was as big as a city. He had read how the Lost City of Atlantis could fly through space. But, that was so many millennia ago and by a different race, the Ancients. This ship was built and operated by ordinary humans. Judging by the accomplishments he could see all around him, there was great hope for the human race. The best discovery was the food dispensers. They were right out of science fiction television shows. The problem was how to describe what was desired, in what quantities, temperature, and cuisine. Fortunately, his host, who did know, had invited him to midmorning tea. Daniel stood back and watched in fascination as the gracious young scientist spoke to the machine. Each item was delivered in a pretty place setting. These people appreciated the niceties of life. 

"So, Dr. Gilead, how long have you been working on this ship?" Daniel took a sip of the hot beverage and found it quite to his liking. In fact, everything was very good. His obvious enjoyment and delight pleased his young host. The man could not be older than his early twenties. Yet, he seemed to have a mature air about him and a very responsible position for being so young, as were so many on this ship.

Dr. Gilead replied, "I have had the honor to serve our Great Lady on board this ship and others for the past seven years." He too was enjoying the encounter. Dr. Jackson was all he had imagined about the intrepid explorer and scholar. "My family has served our Lady's House for sixteen generations. So when an opening became available on this expedition, I was a natural candidate."

Daniel's curiosity was aroused. "Sixteen generations. Really. How do you know? You keep records that far back?" Dr. Gilead nodded. "Do you think I would be allowed, sometime, to look at those records?" The young scholar smiled and nodded with his mouth full. "How far do they go back, do you think?"

"Oh I can tell you for a fact they go back to the beginning. We have the scrolls from before the time of our abduction from the Holy Mother Planet. Everything is meticulously recorded for each family, especially for the royal family. The Chronicles of the Kings are perfectly preserved." Gilead took a bite of his cake and regarded his guest. "You do not have a record of your family's heritage, Dr. Jackson?"

"We do, just not back so far as you do. For example, I have traced my family back 8 generations across 200 years to another country on our planet. I have done considerable research." Daniel paused noticing the other man's face. "Did I say something to offend you?"

"No, no, Dr. Jackson. Did I hear you say that there were 8 generations in 200 years?" Gilead seemed regretful.

"Well yes, some of those of course overlapped, but people did not live so long back then, not like we do now." Daniel had the feeling something was very wrong. "You said your family went back sixteen generations. How long a period does that cover?"

"Oh no, you misunderstand, Dr. Jackson. I did not say my family went back sixteen generations. I said we had served our Lady's family for sixteen generations. We go back much farther in the Chronicles." Gilead was proud of his heritage obviously.

"Oh, I did not understand. But please, how many years does that cover?" Daniel had the feeling this was important.

"Let's see, if you figure that half of the generations were before the advent of Genetic Restoration, then probably around 1500 years."

Daniel's sense of excitement grew. "Genetic Restoration," he quickly asked? "Sounds interesting. But that's a lot of years for just 16 generations. So, how long are people living with 'genetic restoration,' these days?" Daniel smiled a little friendly grin.

"Well that depends on which generation post Restoration you are. If your ancestors started three generations ago it would be different than for someone whose ancestors started four generations ago." Gilead paused to sip his tea. "All things being equal, a 4-Gen Restoration, like myself, should live between 225-240 years."

"Oh, really, is that in Earth years, or some other measurement?" Daniel took a sip of his tea.

"Our worlds are comparable. I think our years are nearly the same give or take three days per year difference," replied Dr. Gilead. He paused, considering if this was the time for the revelation. His Lady wished it to be natural. "I am actually 38 years older than you, Dr. Jackson." Daniel shot tea out his nose.

In his "office," Jack thought his head would explode. What Daniel was telling him could not be possible. Suddenly, he knew how Kynthia felt after he told her that people lived for tens of thousands of days. She said it was practically forever, considering her life span had been just 100 days. If what these people told Daniel was true, he felt humbled. A 4-Gen person would live the equivalent of three of his lifetimes.

"Jack, do you realize what this means?" Daniel was talking rapidly again. "A person could do more, be more, than we ever dreamed. Imagine what could be accomplished if your life span were extended. A longer career, more time to do research, find cures for disease, invent new technologies...it's unbelievable."

"Daniel what you are telling me is they are measuring our lives in _dog years_. And I defy anyone to describe it better." Jack sighed.

A realization struck Daniel. "Jack, all those kids we see around here could be any age at all. If Dr. Gilead looks 21 years old, but is in his late seventies, the Lady could be nearly eighty herself. These children are not children."

"Sir, our own research into the human genome indicates that we start aging after puberty because we can no longer perfectly replicate our own DNA. Each time a cell turns over; it loses the end fragments of its DNA in the process. More and more DNA is lost every time a cell divides until it can't do it any more. This is one reason we die, Sir. They must have discovered the solution." Carter noticed Jack's eyes glaze over. "Sir, longevity has a downside too. If you live longer, you could have more children, hence larger populations making greater demands on resources. You would need more room to grow. No wonder they have **38 billion people** on so many planets. It makes sense. They probably started with only ten or twenty thousand people. If you don't kill each other off and have few diseases, then in just over two thousand years, you would have tens of billions of people. I did some calculations just now, and..."

"Ack! Carter, stop! I get it. Thank you. What I don't get is why they told Daniel just now. Seems to be awfully convenient timing, now doesn't it? They are working hard at something." He waved his hands around the office. "Not to mention the office. Oh yeah, they want something and are dangling immortality in front of us."

Colonel Mitchell jumped in, "Sorta like Methuselah." They all just looked at him. "Sure, my Grandma read me the story of Methuselah, the guy in the Bible who lived 969 years. According to the Bible, people used to live for a really long time. Noah lived 950 years. His son, Shem, lived 600 years. After the flood, life spans were shorter. Abraham lived 175 years. Moses lived 120 years."

"You know your Bible pretty well there, Mitchell." Jack was impressed. "I'm listening to it on tape."

"My Grandma made us memorize stuff. Sundays at Grandma's house meant a lot of bible thumping." Mitchell sighed.

Carter spoke up again. "Sir, maybe the Goa'uld or some other aliens had something to do with shortening our life spans. They did it on Argos. Why not here? And, I am guessing, somehow these people figured out how to reverse it. Hence the name, _Restoration._"

"Jack, I've got it! I know what they want. The Lady told us the first day but we did not understand. She literally told us point blank as well as she was able." Daniel pushed his glasses up. "One of the Lady's titles was _Judge of the People_. In ancient times, during threat or invasion, the Old Testament told of a person who would arise to lead the people against the enemy. A volunteer army would be formed. The Judge would lead the army in battle to destroy the enemy. The Judge would also render decisions on disputes but had God's special calling. Lady Anna is a Judge, in the real biblical sense of the word. She told us that before Apophis attacked, there was no fleet, no war. She said her people wanted to learn to defend themselves!"

"What if Lady Anna wants you to help them make war, Jack? It would make sense. She told you she wants to finish the Goa'uld. Yesterday, that woman made it clear how serious she is. She told us that the Goa'uld had associates as bad as the Goa'uld. She wants their associates dead." Daniel looked at Jack. "The Lady believes you defeated the Goa'uld. That's why she wants you."

Mitchell jumped in. "Right, I know this story. See this king of Canaan was doing some bad stuff. The good guys had a woman judge. Her name was Deborah and she wanted to revolt. So she called up a guy named Barak to lead the army with her. She took a group of warriors to lure the bad guys out of their fortress. Then she got them to chase her to where Barak was waiting with an army of ten thousand troops. They won. Gee, I never thought all those long, long hours in Sunday school would pay off like this!"

"Oy." Jack leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes. "OK, I have to talk to the President. And then I have to see her ladyship again. You folks, go mingle. See what else you can learn about these associates."

* * *

All morning, Commander Derek reviewed plans to use the alien surveillance devices in the SGC against their sources. He had orders to determine the destination of their broadcasts with all speed. The Lady was correct. Finding the listeners was a priority. His training taught him that the more one knew about an adversary, the better. At some point, he would need to activate some of the devices to broadcast his own feed out into deep space. He had ships standing by once a vector had been established. 

Derek's assistant, Lt. Andrew, interrupted to hand him the reports on the scans of the planet. His scans detected more recognizable energy emissions from under the ice in Antarctica. But anomalous power signatures of an unknown nature emanated from Jerusalem. Something was definitely buried down there. The power emissions were scant but present. Obtaining the items would be problematic.

At this point, discretion dictated a political solution to obtaining the buried items. After yesterday's battle, the childish governments dirtside had performed a diplomatic hissy fit over his successful efforts to clean up their world. Their behavior was typical of primitives. Even though they could not handle the problem, they objected when someone else did. In political matters, it was best to let the Lady attempt diplomacy. If diplomacy failed, there was his way. Nothing and no one down there was a match for his forces, well, except for Lord O'Neill.

Derek operated an efficient intelligence network. In three days, his teams had combed the data banks of the entire planet and had organized the information into a useable summary and index. His analysts reported that the populace of this world was in a constant state of unrest. It seemed that the denizens of this world were always killing each other. Maybe this world was filled with homicidal maniacs. He just shook his head. This place needed a sure hand. The Commonwealth provided stability and security to many worlds. In time, they would understand and appreciate what The Commonwealth was doing to secure this planet's future, and indeed, the future of the whole human race. He handed back the report and instructed Lt. Andrew to prep the Special Forces teams. Derek contacted Lady Janelle, assistant to Lady Anna. Yes, he'd discovered everything The Lady had instructed him to find. She knew things in an uncanny way. Truly, she was the **_Judge of All The People_**.


	4. Discovery

**_Chapter Four: Discovery_**

The August thunderstorm blew gusty blasts of rain against the windows of the Oval Office. Power was out all over the city. Outages affected the suburbs in both Maryland and across the Potomac river in Virginia. Lightening had hit the 10th street power station run by Pepco, the area's power company. Trees were down and therefore so were power lines operated by Dominion Power in Virginia. A weather front, carrying moisture from a dissipating hurricane that had hit Florida, had stalled over the area. Power substations were flooding from ground waters rising. Because of the downpours, over 60,000 Metro Washington residents were without air-conditioning at the height of the summer. It would take days to restore power to everyone.

Power interruptions were normal in summer. The aging infrastructure of the East Coast of the United States was regularly subject to rolling brown outs. One district then another would experience temporary outages as the obsolete power grid tried to handle the load. This storm only made the problem worse. Unfortunately, irresponsible TV and radio commentators were speculating that the aliens had some hand in this mess. Riots were breaking out in the poor areas along the Anacostia River southeast of Capitol Hill. This storm had bad timing for many reasons.

Gun bolts slammed and shots rang out. President Hayes spun around only to collide with a Secret Service Agent, covering him. "Whoa! It's me, Sir!" Jack stood in the room and looked at the activity dispassionately. "Look, I'm a hologram."

"_**Hold your fire!**_ Hold your fire," called out the Agent in charge. The guns were lowered.

"Jack, you should warn us when you are going to do that. Now, I have to get White House repair crews to fix the plaster. Do you know how long that took after Anubis? Well, let's just say the government works slowly here too." President Hayes sank into his chair with a relieved grunt. "I assume you are here for a purpose?"

"I'm not here, uh there, sir. I'm up there, here, sir." Jack pointed up. He frowned having confused himself. "I'm on board the _O'Neill_. In my office, sir." Jack smirked, frowned, and then looked down.

"Doesn't get old for you, Jack? I mean this is the second alien ship named for you. You should get over it." President Hayes was tired.

"No, sir, and this one isn't blown up." Jack referred to the short-lived Asgaard vessel that Carter blew up to destroy a Replicator fleet. "Anyway, the reason I called is that we have figured out, generally speaking, why these aliens are here. They really do want me. No kidding. They want to kick some alien butt of their own and think I know how to do it better than anyone. They think I took down the Goa'uld and can do the same to this new crew of Goa'uld wannabe's. In exchange, they are willing to give us pretty much what we want so long as I am part of the package deal. And what they offer is incredible." Jack proceeded to relay that morning's findings and analysis.

"So, The Lady is willing to make a joint statement with me, here in the White House?" President Hayes was digesting all this information. "I have to say it doesn't make sense. There has to be more. I just view the situation differently. They offer too much." Hayes paused to reflect. "I would give them access to your expertise if they only gave us a few trinkets. But they offer, well, a new age of mankind. No, they are after something bigger. Find out what it is. In the meantime, I'll have the speech writers get busy. Now, go. I have a party to plan."

"Yes sir, O'Neill out." Jack dissolved. A party. Jack wondered what kind of cake would be served. He was hungry.

Teal'c walked out of Lady Anna's office feeling very disturbed. She had been extremely polite and even spoke in the Chulak dialect to him. Her command of the language and customs was impressive. Their conversation was little more than diplomatic pleasantries. Nevertheless, he had the distinct impression that he had given away something important. But, he could not think what that could have been.

In the anteroom, Emmett Bregman waited with his film crew. Dale James and Shep Wittenhouse stacked the equipment against the wall. Teal'c nodded to the crew as he passed. Bregman accosted Teal'c saying, "Teal'c, wait. What is she like? I just have to know." Teal'c looked back with a disturbed look on his features. The children by the tables became silent. Teal'c just looked around and shook his head. He asked a guard to take him to O'Neill, and walked out. Bregman looked at the two airmen and said, "He never did say much." Dr. Jackson walked in and greeted Bregman. At that moment, a child appeared and beckoned to the film crew to enter the Lady's office. Emmett looked over at Dr. Jackson and shrugged.

"Jack asked me to be on hand to handle the diplomatic angle. Don't mind me. Just bow and wait for her to address you." Dr. Jackson took the lead. "Mr. Bregman, remember she is the most powerful person you have ever met. Be respectful."

"Be respectful. Right. Phew. I never would have thought of that." Bregman looked at Daniel as if he saw an idiot.

Lady Anna looked at the group Lord O'Neill sent to have an interview with her. They were a strange bunch. As a sign of goodwill, she did not activate her personal shield. The little dark haired man in charge wore the same dull costume all the men of this world seemed to affect. Without DNA identification, they all looked the same to her.

This experience was really bizarre. After some awkwardness, Lady Anna decided that these people really were here to record her and not to hurt her. She wondered what they would do to her next. Some woman was applying a cosmetic paste then powder to her face. There was nothing wrong with her face. The finest biosculpt doctors in the Commonwealth had seen to it. But this woman was acting as if there were some flaw. Dr. Jackson assured her that this was the usual way things were done. Then they attached little black boxes with wires all over her. The men trained very bright lights at her. Then they aimed more little boxes at her. At first she was alarmed that these devices were set to kill her. But no one seemed anxious or fearful in the group. The technicians were calm and focused on the tasks at hand. All the equipment was so bulky and heavy. Lady Anna could have offered to let her people handle the technical aspect, but she was curious. And it was such a change from the usual. All she could ask herself though, was how did these hopelessly backward people destroy the Goa'uld?

The little old man had no respect. He questioned her. Worse, he expected her to answer. It was an interrogation not an interview. She began to wonder if he comprehended the situation. She remembered the old Proverb, "he that is soon to anger deals foolishly." So she bit her tongue and tried another approach. "I fear there has been a great misunderstanding, today. When My Lord O'Neill suggested that I grant you an interview, I did not understand his meaning if this is the result. As the President of the United States, the leader of your people, how is it that you can speak so harshly to me?" She waited patiently for some sign of apology. Everyone looked surprised. No one spoke. "Until you know something about us, understand that this discussion is not suitable. At some point, we shall gain a better understanding and appreciation for each other as individuals and as great peoples. So, I suggest we table this discussion for another time. This interview is over." She rose and swept out of the room.

In August, Washington, DC looks normal but does not feel normal. August traffic flows down Massachusetts Avenue more smoothly. In the trendy Georgetown district, there are no crowds jockeying to cross at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. From the wealthy suburbs of Chevy Chase and Silver Springs, the commute down Georgia Avenue, down into the heart of the city, to the Capitol Building, is shorter. Congress has left town. On Capitol Hill you see the epitome of August, all the empty parking spaces. Still every dead hot August, the taxi cab drivers suffer in the heat. Fully 40 of the upscale residents leave town for vacations to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Delmarva beaches, or more exotic places like Martha's Vineyard or The Hamptons in New York. This August, Washington experienced a mass exodus. No one wanted to be around with the aliens here.

However, the news media was in Washington just to cover the visit by the aliens and the government's response. There wasn't much response. It had been two days since the aliens returned the people they abducted. Since then, it had been quiet. The alien ship no longer hovered over the Pentagon, across the Potomac River. The power outages caused by the remnants of a hurricane from farther south, had been fixed. People were sweltering in the hot damp August weather, as usual. Although many were saying that the aliens caused the power disruption for some evil plan, the Government of course denied it. What else could it do?

President Hayes could not leave the Capital with this alien situation. He had to do something to show he had the situation under control. But, he did not have the situation under control. His plan to show he was accomplishing something became an unmitigated disaster. He planned to have the alien leader give an interview to a respected journalist for broadcast. Then, she would come down for a joint statement of friendship. Lady Anna felt the journalist had insulted her. When she mistook him for the President, she felt annoyed, but when she realized he was a nobody, Lady Anna got pissed off. As to the make-up, Lady Anna thought it was some part of a primitive face painting ritual as part of the greeting ceremony. When the Lady found out it was just the make-up lady touching her royal person, she went ballistic. Apparently, an interview to her did not mean questions and answers. It meant she made a statement and everyone listened and recorded her. So she was not in a mood to come down.

President Hayes discussed options with General O'Neill, the hologram. At least the Secret Service men learned not to shoot at O'Neill's hologram every time it appeared. That he could control. "Jack, we have to do something. Our allies down here are ready to tar and feather me. They can't understand what you are doing up there and why they can't talk to the Lady themselves. I tell them she does not want to speak to them, but they aren't buying it. And get this; the Queen of England is demanding that she take over the diplomatic efforts. She figures they can talk one royal person to another." Hayes was frustrated.

"The Queen of England. Yeah, sure, you betcha, that'll happen." Jack snorted a short laugh. "The Lady thinks she has no equal on our planet. Her protocol officers gave us a briefing on their society, customs, and manners. Daniel just lapped it up. But the upshot of it all is, she's through being Lady Nice Guy. She made it plain that she represents **38 billion people in 26 star systems**, which counts for more than any one regional ruler on Earth. And it turns out; the Lady is the great-granddaughter of the King of the Commonwealth. She wants full protocols instituted because she feels she has been horribly insulted and vows it will never happen again. At the moment, I am the only Earth representative admitted to her presence. Even then I have to jump through the hoops. Oy," Jack growled. He hated conducting diplomacy. He preferred battle.

"So what's your recommendation, Jack? I can offer a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Would she come down for that?" Hayes knew he was being crucified at the U.N. in New York.

The United Nations General Assembly had met constantly during the week to point fingers. Most of the finger pointing was at the Americans because they had run the Stargate program. The previously unbriefed representatives believed the whole matter was a United States ploy to gain advantage from the aliens. It was getting out of hand in New York. Something had to be done to show that the United States was not gaining a better status with the aliens at everyone else's expense. The foreign press was bashing Americans big time over this. In every big city in the world, mass demonstrations erupted against the U.S. with American flag burnings the norm. In Vatican City, the Pope was holding round the clock prayers in the courtyard of St. Peter's Basilica. You would think the world was coming to an end.

"I recommend against it, sir. That's the last thing any of us need. She told me this morning what she wants in exchange for, well, our souls. We have a lot more work to do up here to convince her that her demands are unreasonable." Jack looked worried. "We can't let her loose at the U.N. And we can't let her send down a representative that looks 12 years old."

"Understood. So, you got her to start negotiations. This is good. Let's hear it, Jack. So what is she after? " Hayes figured this was going to be some fancy bargaining. He knew how to deal with that situation. He paced, while listening.

"In exchange for their knowledge, advanced medicine, and a military alliance, Lady Anna has a list of impossible demands. I can tell you that she is ready to wait a hundred years to get them. And for her, that isn't even a lifetime." Jack pulled out his notes. These are the big ticket items she wants."

Jack began to read from his notes. "The Commonwealth has a constantly expanding demand for food because of its rapidly expanding population. Farm colonies are being established. To augment the average diet, their scientists want living samples of every edible thing on Earth. They want enough to propagate these samples, along with the necessary expert advice. Also, the Commonwealth wants to leave scientists here to survey the planet for other substances, which might prove useful. They think the rain forests may have species with medicinal properties and realize we cannot do the investigation ourselves. They are not ruling out the oceans either. Whatever they discover, they will share with us. But, transporting these samples will require them to build an orbital docking station for their ships. The Stargate can't handle the volume on either side."

"They also have strong human genetic programs. From our own files, they learned about the Ancient Gene. But because they are so religious, they do not want to use samples of our DNA. The whole no adultery commandment plays here. They believe that procreation must be done the old-fashioned way." Jack scowled and paused. "Arranged marriages are normal in their society. According to Daniel, they are very clannish, maybe even tribal. To join our respective "clans," she insists that wholesale marriages take place between those with the Ancient gene on both sides to the tune of hundreds of thousands of people. The resulting children are to cross breed in more marriages to spread the gene. Also, some marriages are to include persons from prominent families whether or not they have the Ancient Gene. They view these marriages as the cement to any treaty."

Jack looked up from his notes. He studied the President's face for a reaction. Seeing no explosion, Jack continued with the list. "The Commonwealth wants our leaders to travel to their Homeworld for treaty signing ceremonies. Lady Anna wants her experts to examine the Ancient Chair in Antarctica. The Lady wants to travel to Atlantis and have her experts look it over. A meeting with Thor and the Asgaard High Council is requested. She wants to establish an embassy on Earth and have ours established on her Capital planet. To create our military alliance, she wants her officers and command staffs to have direct access to our leaders in the Pentagon and other command centers in other countries, with a regular exchange of personnel. And they want to build a defense network throughout this solar system." Jack looked up and scowled. "Oh, and I am still on the list. In addition, the Lady wants to me to submit to Genetic Restoration. However, Thor would have to help because of the genetic marker he put in me." Jack paused again to take stock. "No one here told her about the Ancient Outpost, Thor, or Atlantis, sir. They obtained the information from our data banks."

"I'm impressed. That's quite a list of demands. And, they are proving to us that our security is a shambles. Well, none of that is so horrible. I am sure some of the marriage issues can happen naturally over time. They sure have family values on a galactic scale." Hayes grinned at the thought.

The President became serious again. "While marriage is a traditional way to secure an alliance, this is something more. And, I am not so keen on them building an orbital anything, let alone our system wide defenses just yet." Hayes took a moment to think. "I doubt we can stop them from going to Atlantis. They obviously read the files and know where it is. The rest is horse-trading. My father used to do a lot of that and taught me a few things in the process. If we could establish that they really are good guys, we would do most of those requests anyway over time. But all that is a lot at once. We'd be getting in bed with a total stranger and have no way out later if they got rough."

Jack paused not knowing how to tell the President the kicker. "Sir, the last demand is a doosie. This one is really special. In all seriousness, you should sit down. Really." Jack waited until Hayes was seated, took a big breath, and said, "I tried to tell her this is the worst thing she could ask to have. I really tried, sir. The Lady insists there is a faint power source under some important ruins down here. Her people are ready to begin excavations for a piece of property she says rightfully belongs to her people from before the time of their abduction. And they mean to retrieve it with all haste." Jack closed and opened his eyes, speaking slowly. "Mr. President, Lady Anna wants her people to excavate underneath the ruins of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to find what they believe is the Ark of the Covenant."

"_**Oh my God!**_ She's going to start _World War III_." The President lost all color in his face to the point the Secret Service called the White House doctor. He felt sick. The world was coming to an end.

The Security Council of the United Nations began its closed-door session. Additional anti-eavesdropping equipment was working. Tension ran high among the fifteen members. The American Ambassador read General O'Neill's report. They listened until the last demand and gasped in unison. The American Ambassador asked the others to consider a solution outside the norm. Since the aliens were so powerful that they could do this thing anyway, the U.N. should accommodate them. A united front was the only way to convince the populace that war would only be a waste of lives. The Ancient Chair in Antarctica was nearly out of drones anyway and was not an effective defense. Unless the Asgaard came to intervene, there was nothing to do except capitulate. The aliens were offering so much in exchange, that maybe Earth should just accept. Judging by the faces around the table, there would be trouble.

Daniel walked into Jack's office on board the alien ship. Even after all these years seeing weird things, looking at Jack hard at work reading memos in his own office up here was frankly bizarre. Jack even had assistants assigned around the clock. Oh yes, Jack was a minor god up here. But he seemed oblivious to it all. By the look in Jack's eyes, clearly, things weren't going so well.

"You've settled in nicely, I see." Daniel stuck his hands in his pockets.

"What?" Jack asked. He looked up to see Daniel standing there regarding him with curiosity.

"I spoke to Commander Eli. He's as high as I get anymore. They've practically banished me to the other end of the ship, except when they escort me to see you." Daniel remarked.

"Which end," responded Jack?

"Well, there's no up or down in space and this is the middle of the ship, so I don't know." Daniel answered quickly.

"I'm sorry I asked." Jack went back to pressing the console. Finally he got the image he wanted. It projected in front of him without a terminal. "Cool. Tell them we want a dozen of these."

"Anyway, Commander Eli says her ladyship has approved our request to visit their homeworld today in about an hour. However, if we leave today, we can't come back until the day after tomorrow in the evening their time, which is middle of the night our time." Daniel looked excited.

"How come?" Jack knew this was going to be good.

"How come they approved the trip or how come we can't come back until later?" Daniel spoke rapidly, indicating he was excited.

"The second one. I think." Jack looked confused.

"We can't come back until after their Sabbath. We, no actually you, are invited to the Lady's home to celebrate with her family. Sam and Cameron are assigned to Commander Eli's family. He and Sam really hit it off. Teal'c and I are going to Dr. Gilead's. He's an archeologist, too." Daniel was fairly bouncing at this point.

"Daniel, stop it. What's with the jiggle?" Jack was not impressed. "Do we have to go to church, too?"

"Um, that's a good bet. I suppose. But the way I hear it, they treat the whole thing as a real family get together. So, can we go? Just give the order. I'm ready to go. I am so ready." Daniel motioned with his hand in an upward sweep. "What?"

"I'm thinking," replied Jack.

"Aw c'mon, Jack. It's what we do." Daniel whined.

"I'm thinking that I don't want to go through an entire weekend with all this protocol. It's been a long week and I was looking forward to a quiet day off by myself." Jack looked aggrieved. "And I am wondering if they will let me leave afterwards. They haven't wanted me to go back to Earth since I got here. They don't say I can't but they always seem to steer me away from doing it. First came the office. Then they gave me the villa. A villa on a starship just for me means they don't want me to leave."

"But, it would be a perfect opportunity to witness how their culture has changed and evolved since they left Earth. And you would be able to smooth things over a bit with the Lady in a less formal setting. She might even forgive us if you are nice to her." Daniel stopped and looked at Jack. "You got a villa? I only got a bunk in a cabin. Do I get to see it?"

"I don't know. They said only flag officers are allowed on that restricted section of the ship." Jack sighed. "But I can ask. They like me. Computer, get me the Protocol Officer please." He turned to Daniel, " I swear I am not bowing and scraping on my day off."

"Lt. Rachel here, sir. How may I be of assistance?" The disembodied voice took shape in the form of a hologram.

"I understand I've been invited to a shindig at Lady Anna's for the weekend. How bad are the protocol requirements going to be there?" Jack looked tired.

"Sir, no one observes protocol on the Sabbath. We are all equal in the sight of God. You should give the King a small nod when he arrives. After that, everyone relaxes. Once the week resumes, and you have exited the house, revert to standard protocol. I shall be there as you leave." She waited for his response.

"The King is going to be there? Are you kidding me?" Jack knew the Lady was connected as his great-granddaughter. "Oh no."

"Jack! Jack! You **_HAVE_** to go. You will be the first person from Earth to meet him and you'll do it in his home! You will be able to talk to him informally! Jack! He's the most powerful human in the Galaxy. You can't miss this opportunity. Say yes...go on...yes, say it." Daniel was frantic, his arms were waving and his face was all animated.

Jack succumbed to the inevitable. "Yes, I suppose. What do I wear? All my clothes are at my apartment." He had been supplied with replicated uniforms in his villa. The material was soft and the tailoring was perfect. He had not been home in days.

"You will be supplied at the residence with everything you need, sir. Just be at the Stargate in one hour and twelve minutes for your departure. Your page can guide you. Our Lady will meet you there. Please be sure that you stand to her right, and half a step behind at all times in public. The position next to her and to her right is the place of honor. I shall be nearby until it is time for me to go home. Is there anything else, sir?" Lt. Rachel was certainly on top of things.

"No, that's fine. Thank you. Tell Lady Anna that I accept, just use the right words please. O'Neill out." Jack turned to Daniel. "Are you happy now?"

George Hammond sat in the Oval Office chuckling. He looked at the President. "He really told you he's going to spend quality time with the King of the Commonwealth." Hammond just chuckled some more, and shook his head from side to side. "That's Jack for you."

"And he said they gave him a villa on board the ship. Not just an office, but a villa too. George, I think we are going to lose him to these aliens. He seems to think they have been discouraging him from returning to Earth by making everything a little too convenient so he would stay. I'm guessing that they will do the same once he is on the other side of the Gate. George, I don't think they would let him go even if he asked outright." The President was not amused.

Hammond thought for a moment and replied, "Bratac said these folks were relentless as well as ruthless. They've come right out and said they want O'Neill badly. Sounds as though they are doing everything short of actually kidnapping him."

"The King has a gun pointed at our collective heads. We need to hear what he has to say. Obviously, the invitation was extended for a reason. You don't get a direct dialogue with the most powerful human alive, unless he wants it. I've got a good idea what the message is going to be. But I told Jack to convey our resolve. They are not going to take over this world without a fight. But the writing is on the wall, George." President Hayes rose to walk Hammond out, "Mark my words. And they are not going to let Jack just wander off."

O'Neill took his place at Lady Anna's side with SG-1 and the rest of the party bringing up the rear. The Stargate engaged. Jack found himself in a large terminal much like an airport only better. Many people were floating baggage behind them. Large stacks of containers waited in the queue for transport. Announcements were heard over the address system. Some officials appeared to whisk Lady Anna's party through to waiting vehicles. Teal'c looked dubious. Mitchell knew he had arrived at something wonderful. And Daniel was talking a mile a minute. Jack looked over at Carter and gave a small smile. She was really enjoying this adventure. He was glad she was there. Jack turned to her and whispered, "God, I miss going off-world."

Jack ducked into the waiting vehicle, subconsciously humming, "Que sera, sera. What ever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see..." The melody of the Doris Day song played along in his head.

"Humming, sir?" Carter just grinned at him.

"Was not." Jack objected.

"Were too," replied Daniel.

"Not," insisted Jack. "I never hum."

"And yet, you were," Daniel corrected, with an arch look and a nod.

"Indeed, O'Neill. I heard you, too." Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"This is all very hum worthy, sir." Carter smiled broadly. Mitchell had a look of utmost satisfaction. "Try enjoying this as much as we are, sir."

"Carter, you're enjoying this just a little too much." Jack was being surly.

Yep, this was just like old times, thought Jack. They all looked out the windows at the city all around them. This place was something out of Star Wars, only better because it was real. But, the other shoe would fall. And, then things would go horribly wrong. Until then, he decided to enjoy the trip.


	5. Manipulations

Chapter Five: Hero Worship

O'Neill studied the skyline of the alien city. Tall towers pointed like needles in the sky. Most of them had hanging greenery protruding from every level. These people liked their gardens, Jack thought. The vehicles landed at a huge complex. The team disembarked and followed uniformed attendants into the lobby area. O'Neill and SG-1 craned their heads to look at the ornately decorated halls and rooms. Giant doors swung open. O'Neill and his team entered an enormous theatre. As they were lead down the aisle, thunderous cheers erupted. For once, Jack was completely taken aback. He stopped in mid-stride to look around, wondering if this was really for them. The rest of the team was equally shocked. Oh yeah, this was going to be really interesting. He could hear them chanting his name. Sweet.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. The King accepted bows from SG-1. Judging by the ridiculously ornate costume, someone important made a long speech, and then awarded him a medal. Lady Anna was there watching over the proceedings. He acted perfunctorily, thanking, waving, and looking at the Protocol Officer to tell him what to do. Finally, he just enjoyed it. After all, they did save the entire galaxy. These fine folks were just showing their appreciation.

A couple hours later, sitting in another vehicle, Jack was still overwhelmed. He was naturally suspicious of strangers, let alone aliens. However, these folks were starting to grow on him. They were trying hard to make him like them. It is natural to like those who like you. But the years of training that kept him alive made him cautious. Obviously, they wanted something big. But, he was cautiously optimistic for the first time since everyone met.

Sitting together in the aircar, Lady Anna beamed a smile at Jack. They were traveling to her ancestral home for the Sabbath. In a few short hours the suns would set. By then, everyone would be at home celebrating. This weekend should be very interesting. It was a make or break situation. Lives were at stake and time was short. Powerful enemies threatened her people. Hopefully, everyone here would cooperate. Her plan was coming together.

Today, made the last seven years worth the struggle and sacrifice. The welcoming ceremony at the Great Council was a huge success. The occasion was broadcast to the entire Commonwealth. Lady Anna's prestige and power grew exponentially today as a result. She had found the Holy Mother Planet. And most of all, she had brought O'Neill before the King and all the People.

Anna observed Jack and tried to assess his mood. Jack regarded his companion with an impassive face. She was beautiful. No, make that gorgeous. She was probably a hundred years old, too. And she was up to something. But he was tired after a long day of meet and greet. These folks could really put on a show. He hoped that no matter what her plans, this weekend would be worth it.

While Jack was on his way to his weekend destination, his team split in pairs to go to theirs. Daniel and Teal'c were headed out of the city to Dr. Gilead's farm. Daniel and Dr. Gilead had found common grounds as archeologists. So, it was natural that they would be sent to him. The vehicle landed some distance out from the city and discharged its passengers. Daniel and Teal'c walked up to the door of Dr. Gilead's farmhouse. Looking around, they saw strange hovering equipment out in the fields. But, the architecture of the main house was recognizable. The house was old, but in great condition. Flowers and small shrubs scented the cool twilight air. The sounds and smells of family life were floating out to the porch. Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other as if to say, well it can't be so bad. Daniel spoke softly, "Aunty Em, Aunty Em, I'm home."

"I do not believe your aunt lives here, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c replied.

"No, no, I guess not." Daniel shot him a look and realized Teal'c had made a joke.

Dr. Gilead came to the door and welcomed them inside. Dinner was being placed on a long table. This house was filled with children. Well maybe, they were children. And then Daniel saw the first old person so far. This could be good, thought Daniel.

Sam Carter sat with Cam Mitchell in a real aircar traveling through a futuristic city. The two officers were on their way to Commander Eli's family. Sam craned her neck to see everything out the windows. Cam did not know which was better, being on an adventure or being with the one and only Sam Carter of SG-1. Working with SG-1 was everything he thought it would be. Cam snorted a laugh. Carter looked over at him, giving a gesture that said, "What?"

"It's just that I always imagined it would be like this and here I am, somewhere over the rainbow. Just the possibility of all this, is what kept me going all through physical therapy. I mean look at this place. I'll never look at a sci fi movie again the same way." Mitchell just grinned.

"Yeah, I go to see how much they actually get right. Cassie says I spoil the fun of it all." Carter smirked back. The vehicle stopped in front of a stone residence and announced them. The door of Commander Eli's residence flung open. Their host came to the door. Carter and Mitchell entered to see a spacious home filled with the sounds of family chaos. Commander Eli welcomed them and the Sabbath began.

The official news media of the Commonwealth ran nothing but the exciting news of Lord O'Neill's arrival in the Capital. Recordings of the Greeting Ceremony at the Great Council were played and replayed. Commentators analyzed every movement each of the Team made. This media's version of Talking Heads commented on every nuance of the occasion. O'Neill's first meeting aboard the ship was replayed as well. Then summarily dissected for its importance. Lady Anna was heralded as the most effective Judge of the People since Samuel, over 3000 years ago. Her biography was shown on multiple channels. Her speeches were re-broadcast. And images of her and O'Neill coming through the Stargate were played on every street corner news screen. The High Priest at the Great Temple offered prayers with the masses gathered outside. People poured into the streets to celebrate. And SG-1 had no idea any of this was happening tonight.

"Hello, Ladies." Jack said in his most charming voice. He walked into the comfortably furnished room that had seen a lot of use. Jack was tired and sat down on a very comfortable sofa. The ladies of the family hesitated and then could not resist their curiosity. Half a dozen classically beautiful young women approached, giggled, and introduced themselves. He could see the evening would be very pleasant.

The Royal Family was naturally a noisy, happy, and affectionate bunch. Even the King allowed the real children to crawl in his lap and search his pockets for treats. The ladies showered O'Neill with attention and food, while giggling and flirting with him. Jack was not complaining. These women were real lookers. And they certainly liked him. After the dinner, Jack was asked to recount his version of the Battle of Vorash. He had a rapt audience, with excited youngsters who just egged him on. As the evening wore on, most of the women and children went off to bed. The men began to drink and relax. Finally, Jack took himself off to bed. O'Neill was beginning to like these people.

Early the next morning, Jack dressed himself and went down for breakfast. One of the ladies fussed over him. He finished eating and noticed that the doors to the garden were open. Jack stepped outside for some fresh air. The garden was in full bloom. It was spring on this planet. At a stone bench, he decided to sit and wait there.

Lady Anna's petticoats swished as she approached the man seated in her garden. "So, we are not monsters, My Lord General?" asked Lady Anna settling in beside him.

"What?" Jack had heard the rustle of skirts approaching. Then he realized what the question meant. "Oh, no." He paused, looking down, and added, "I told you to call me Jack."

"Very well, I am Anna. But only in private." She paused and looked at him. She thought him handsome for an older gentleman. He had finely chiseled features. His body was obviously fit. Gen Restoration and other medical treatments would reverse some of the aging damage. But the burdens he carried would always tell in his eyes.

"You look mighty pretty this morning, Anna." She was dressed up in more rustic attire. "When do we leave for church?" Jack's head hurt. "By the way, do you have something for a headache?"

"Ah, yes, you men were really having a good time last night. We heard you even at the end of the west wing." Anna spoke softly to thin air, requesting pain killer and liquid. He was baffled how the computer knew she was talking to it and not him. "You should drink something cool. It will help." Anna paused and added, "I haven't touched that stuff in decades." She turned to look around the yard. "The garden looks good." Anna pointed to the vegetation all around. "I planted most of the things you see here, in the before time."

"The before time?" Jack noticed her sadness.

"Yes, before the Great Death." Jack looked confused. "I meant the destruction of our planet Asher." Jack gave a nod. "I was a dedicated gardener. But, there's no time anymore." She said regretfully. Jack studied her to see if the emotion was genuine and was satisfied. Changing to a less painful subject, Anna continued, "You know, we really are grateful for what you did at Vorash. If Apophis had come then, well, we would not be here." She saw him receive the praise with humility. He just nodded and gave a small smile. "Everyone was impressed with the story you told last night. It was very exciting." Anna returned the smile at him. "I would never have thought to blow up the sun."

"Aw shucks, it was nothing ma'am." He eyed her for a reaction. Seeing disbelief on her face, he added, "well, it's what we do. We get into trouble. We blow things up. We get out of trouble and go home." He looked down at his hands. "It's a living." One of the ladies arrived with the medicine. Jack gulped his drink. He was thirsty after all.

"We go to the village for services, Jack. Feel up to a walk? It's not far and the morning is cool." Lady Anna rose. "This way, it's shorter through the garden."

"Sure, just follow the Yellow Brick Road." Jack said as he followed her down the path. Lady Anna shot him a quizzical look. "It's from an old Earth Movie, you see..." and he launched into the plot.

After services, Carter and Mitchell joined Eli's family in the main salon. Conversation continued to center on O'Neill. Everyone seemed to know the whole story about the Battle of Vorash. They were rehashing it again. "Of course, as you say, Colonel Carter. I was not there. So you must be correct. But isn't it true that Lord O'Neill lead the attack?" Carter nodded. "And he gave his approval for the plan?" She started to say yes, but was cut off. "He was the one who gave the order?" Carter started to speak, but one of the guests interrupted. "And he was the one who captured the Hatak ship in the first place." Heads were bobbing. Someone else butted in. "And Lord O'Neill forced the ship to crash into the planet." Another guest jumped into the argument. "And didn't he subdue and rescue Master Teal'c?"

"Yes, but I'm the one who figured out how to blow up the sun." Carter was miffed. As far as these people were concerned, General O'Neill deserved all the credit for everything. To them, the team was just supporting staff along for the ride. "My father and I devised the scheme. And I'm the one who rigged the device and launched it."

Listening to all this, Commander Eli was baffled by Carter's pique. It was disgusting. This junior subordinate dared to liken her efforts to the awe-inspiring deeds of her lord and commander, O'Neill. Eli understood why Lady Anna wanted him to keep these two out of the way.

By late afternoon, Daniel and Teal'c returned from a walk, back to Dr. Gilead's home. They had to take a break from the unending questions about Jack. The hero worship was getting on their nerves. However, the day had been extremely interesting for the anthropologist in Daniel. Worship services revealed that while much was different, the Teachings seemed to be consistent with the Old Testament of the Earth Bible. As the suns were setting, Daniel entered the room where some members of the household were watching a broadcast. Apparently the news was on. The reporter was gushing about Jack. Jack's image walked into the church as throngs stood by and watched.

"... Lord Major General Jack O'Neill piously walked from His Majesty's country house to services this morning. He accompanied Lady Anna on foot out of respect for our most traditional Sabbath custom. According to reports from inside the sanctuary, he humbly sat to the rear. No one alerted the congregation that he would be here, but word spread quickly last night through the Village of..."

Someone changed the channel. Images of throngs of people in a great plaza filled the screen. The announcer described the event celebrating General O'Neill's arrival. It looked like one helluva party. People were ecstatic.

Teal'c saw Daniel's perplexed expression. "This is disturbing, Daniel Jackson. I do not understand why these people are so overcome by O'Neill's presence."

"Yeah, they seem to be real fans. They are way more than fans, maybe groupies. It's almost a religious fervor." He looked at the faces in the room. The commentator continued his excessive praise of O'Neill. The family members were all smiling and nodding their heads in agreement. Daniel turned to Teal'c. "I wonder if Jack even knows.

As the Sabbath drew to a close, Lady Anna rested in her rooms at the family's country estate. The week had been full indeed. All her energy was spent. Her efforts to save her people would be decided this afternoon out in the garden. Only the King could finish her plan. She reflected upon the road that brought her to this time. Her journey began with Apophis leveling the planet Asher. That destruction was called the Great Death. The impact on the Commonwealth was drastic. Removal of an entire world threw chaos into every aspect of life. Nearly 1 in 12 people had died. Almost everyone lost someone. Many members of the Royal Family had been there on vacation on the beautiful beaches of that world. Their loss shook the government. Without Asher, the economy's fabric was torn. An economic depression began. The wheels of commerce came to a grinding halt. Every level of society was terrified, generating unrest that tore communities apart. The entire system was about to collapse from the turmoil. Somehow, the people had to be turned around to look outward, not inward. They had to become warriors or be destroyed. But, the Commonwealth was tearing itself apart, while the enemy was at the door.

The military was little more than ritual and a toy for the ancient clans. To Lady Anna's frustration, inertia and complacency stymied reform attempts. The military still carried the ritual swords and shields. The Commandment, you shall not kill, was written on every doorway. In the Teachings, self-defense was not only permitted, it was expected. But those examples were from long ago and far away. Basically, the stories of war were just fables. The commandment was strong; the exceptions were not as obvious. No one would take up real arms. The spiritual nature of society made raising a conscripted army problematic to say the least. In truth, no one knew how to fight an interstellar war.

The population expected morals, superior technology, a fine Intelligence Service, and treaties to keep the peace. While shipping had always needed protection, pirates had learned the Commonwealth's shipping routes were unprofitable. Commonwealth ships either had superior shields or speed. Large convoys usually discouraged the lone raider. No profits meant few pirates plagued that region of space. The intelligence network helped solve conflicts with neighboring star systems before they started. A word to diplomatic teams from the Intelligence Service meant early solutions. Treaties with neighboring worlds secured the joys of peace in that sector of space. With the treaties came wholesale marriages. All parties found it difficult to make war on their relatives. And more importantly, the marriages served to refresh the gene pool. So everyone was satisfied. But, the status quo was dead.

Lady Anna went to the King. She had a plan. Building a military from hollow ritual was a huge undertaking. The old system had to be scrapped. Society's values had to change and be reinvented. She needed the King's unqualified backing. She needed his moral authority. She required tremendous financing only the Crown could gather. And she needed the Religious Council to cooperate. Under the circumstances, none of these criteria would happen easily. The whole society had to be turned upside down to produce a war machine where none existed. For it was certain, the enemy would be back. Lady Anna was determined to be ready.

For the past seven years, Lady Anna made the Commonwealth prepare. First, the King gave her the title, Judge Of All The People. The title's religious and moral authority was tremendous. The High Priest performed the anointing ceremony. With that authority and the king's support, she wrested control of the military away from the more conservative elements of the Commonwealth. Using that control, she focused her efforts to strengthen the Intelligence Service. From that position, the Lady was able to build a military, to control the manufacturing sector, and to create supportive propaganda.

Lady Anna's first task was to increase the size and scope of the Intelligence Service. The Service began to search for the source of the Great Death. These efforts uncovered who did it and why. The Goa'uld were back and were ascending in power. Worse, these parasites had helpers. Both enemies had a policy to destroy advanced human civilizations. Now that the enemy had information about the Commonwealth, the threat was imminent.

In the meantime, Lady Anna forced efforts to develop and build new weapons and more powerful ships. Resources were commandeered from all areas of the economy. New tax burdens were implemented, which created more unrest. The finest minds of the age were drafted. The Universities detailed their faculties to the cause. Whole industries were taken over by the government. The great ships took shape. The Intelligence Service brought back weapons that could be modified and built. But the strain on society was almost too much. The King used all his power to keep the government working and the Commonwealth together. This society was in critical condition.

The biggest impediment in the whole scheme was motivating the populace to fight. It was one thing to build things and gather information. It was another matter to kill. The stigma of taking life was so powerful that building the military was almost impossible. Her attempts to use the media to change perceptions and attitudes had little effect. As the Judge of the People, Anna went out on numerous missions with a few trusted cohorts. The Lady was wounded several times. But, her efforts did not rouse the populace. On the great ships, she could get people to do civilian jobs consistent with shipping. They would do research. They would build weapons. But gathering an army was not working. Those who did report for duty refused to fight. On a few test missions, most of the troops let the Jaffa kill them rather than commit such a terrible sin. Anyone who did pull the trigger committed suicide eventually. The rare exceptions included Derek. Lady Anna gathered him and other exceptions to form a ruthless team.

The Intelligence Service brought to Lady Anna's attention a small band of primitive warriors. The name O'Neill featured prominently in the reports of System Lord defeats and even their deaths. O'Neill was like David fighting Goliath. It was the perfect propaganda ploy to rouse the masses and give them hope. The news that O'Neill killed Apophis was even better. David slew Goliath. Lady Anna's media worked overtime to create a legendary hero. O'Neill became the Hero of the Battle of Vorash. Stories of his victories made all the headlines. Reports on any of his likely activities made the news. All this media attention began to inspire the younger generation. So, she whipped up the religious establishment to press this new angle. The last piece of the puzzle remained. She had to find O'Neill.

The trip to Earth was a big disappointment. The people were shockingly primitive. Whatever they had accomplished against the Goa'uld, had to have been exaggerated or just dumb luck. Lady Anna's outrageous demands to Earth governments were designed only to pressure O'Neill into coming, and to gain access to his military's leadership for consultations. The finesse of her plan showed in the result. O'Neill was here. But, his cooperation was not certain.

The waning rays of late afternoon sunshine warmed the man sitting beside the pond. King David enjoyed a few minutes of solitude. Normally, there was always someone wanting something from him. He hoped for a few more precious moments of peace. But, the footsteps approaching quashed that hope. The King sighed. When this was all over, he was going to retire for a decade or so, and let someone else deal with the stress. He had carried around this fantasy around for the last fifty years. And now since the Queen's death on Asher, he thought about it constantly.

O'Neill stopped at the end of the brick walkway. He knew to wait until beckoned. This meeting had to be the other shoe. The day off was nearly over. Here it comes, Jack thought. The man raised his hand and indicated Jack should approach. He looked so tired. The King was one of the few people who looked close to O'Neill's age. O'Neill wondered how old this man really was.

King David made a gesture to Jack indicating he should take a seat in the next chair. For long minutes, neither man spoke. Jack became restless. The King glanced at him with an appraising look. Jack decided it was time to put some cards on the table. Jack paused not sure what to say. He did not want to anger the most powerful human in the galaxy.

"Sir, no disrespect intended, but we don't know you. You all seem like fine people, don't get me wrong. But, what you want will cause chaos on our planet. Sir, many people will die." The King seemed to think for a moment, and nodded. "Sir, please understand your demands are scaring the hell out of us." King David looked over to Jack and waited. "I mean, it's a lot to throw at us all at once." The King sat staring out at the pond. The silence was heavy between them. "So, what is it you want from me, sir?"

"Hmm. Good question." The King took his time before continuing. "I want you to see to it that your people don't die. No one wants that." The King looked at O'Neill and paused. The King sat quietly, letting Jack process that response. "We have great faith in your character." Jack gave him a hard look. "We have no faith in your leaders." The King was in no hurry. He looked back out at the pond. "We are better informed now about the situation on Earth. You have learned something about us." Jack nodded and waited. The King continued, "Your leaders want good relations with us. But, someone has to take the first step. Are you willing to take a small step, General?"

"That depends on how small." Jack felt it coming. He felt like he was on a runaway train.

"Suppose you watch out for your people. Make sure no one dies from unfortunate mistakes." The pause was pregnant with meaning. "Be your world's first representative to us. I have every confidence that you will act with honor. See to it, your leaders do too." The king looked Jack in the eye.

"Sir, that's very flattering. But that decision is not up to me. It's up to my leader, the President of the United States." Jack hoped an out was possible.

"My ambassador has already cleared this appointment with your President. Messengers from Earth are arriving even now to confirm your orders." The King rose and Jack stood up too. "As of tomorrow, you are assigned to Lady Anna's general staff. General O'Neill you are the first Earth Force Advisor to our military. Do not disappoint us." The King walked away without looking back. Jack was left staring at the retreating figure. He had the feeling he had been sold out for thirty pieces of silver.

Summer nights in Washington, DC are alive. The woods and gardens are filled with the sights and sounds of living things. Fireflies hang like fairies up to the tops of the tallest trees. Their lights drift across the outlines of the fragrant bushes. Hoot owls cry their plaintive call looking for the activity of mice hiding in the rotting leaves. Crickets chirp in the hot damp air. Mosquitoes whine around any light. And cicadas grind a constant drone at decibels that can keep a person awake all night. George Hammond was getting no sleep and it wasn't because of the bugs. He had a message to deliver tomorrow. And he wasn't looking forward to the trip. He had to persuade Major General Jack O'Neill that the president did not sell him down the river. It took Hammond half the night to convince himself.

Earth turned upside down less than a week ago when aliens came calling for Jack. They asked for O'Neill by name. Their message repeated on every channel, every frequency, in every language all over the globe until they found their man. In broad daylight, the aliens sent an aircraft carrier sized ship to the Pentagon, headquarters of the United States military. It ferried Jack up to a mother ship as large as Manhattan Island. By then, the secret of the Stargate was out. The world didn't like it one bit.

President Henry Hayes had the unenviable task of playing poker for the highest stakes in Earth history. His opponents were not just the aliens, but also The Powers That Be on Earth. Worse, Earth's off-world allies were A.W.O.L. Once again, the Asgaard were not answering their phone. The Tok'ra were "otherwise engaged". And the Jaffa tried not to show that they were afraid to come. Earth was on its own this time. The good news seemed to be the fact that the aliens were in love with Major General Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force. The big alien mother ship was named, 'O'Neill, the Great.' But, the aliens' demands were the bad news. It seemed as though they wanted the earth, the sky, and everything in between with the rest of the solar system on the side. Yes, the stakes were high.

The first round went to the aliens hands down. Right away, they made a preemptive strike against Goa'uld hiding on Earth. Then, they said they wanted O'Neill, and did everything short of kidnapping him to get him to come to them. At present, O'Neill and his team were on the alien planet ostensibly checking out the aliens. And no one on Earth knew where that was. There was also a major fleet of alien ships in orbit with unknown intentions. So, when the alien ambassador politely requested a conference with President Hayes, an audience was speedily granted. As long as they were talking and not shooting, Hayes figured he was still in the game.

Poker is a game of skill as well as chance. Sometimes you have to bluff. Sometimes raising the stakes big with a poor hand is often more profitable than folding. President Hayes had a vague idea what the aliens wanted. So, he decided to raise by asking the ambassador to move the ships out of orbit. And then he re-raised by demanding that the aliens take no more unilateral actions. All over the world, the nightly news showed satellite pictures of the ships up there. People were hysterical over the number of the ships. The United Nations was breathing down the President's neck to get the situation under control. The world blamed the United States. If the aliens could just move off into the distant parts of the solar system it would relieve some pressure. So, the President went to the table pretty sure of his position. He was nearly out of chips.

As expected, the alien ambassador asked for O'Neill to be posted as an Earth representative to their military. The request was just a formality. They already had him. Hayes knew Jack was not coming back too soon. However, Hayes was willing to let them have Jack in the interim. On the other hand, he knew that the General would never cooperate without express orders. The game was rife for bluffing. Of course the ambassador asked for lots of other things as well. The president dismissed those demands: it was a good bet something was not right here.

The meeting produced satisfactory results. The Commonwealth made concessions to obtain O'Neill. The aliens agreed to move the ships out of sight. Everybody knew that the ships could come back in a few moments, so the inconvenience for the aliens was small. The aliens promised not to initiate any more unilateral strikes on Earth without first informing the President, providing he allowed them to clean out the surveillance devices other aliens had installed in the SGC and elsewhere on Earth. In addition, the aliens agreed to allow SG-1 to travel back and forth to Earth at will. And they were willing to give up the address of their Homeworld.

In exchange, Hayes cut orders for Jack to remain with the aliens for 3 months, with the possibility of an extension. He also arranged to give Jack support staff, including an order for SG-1 to be at his disposal. The aliens swallowed hard but agreed. Both sides agreed to continue their discussions concerning the Ark. The aliens asserted their unequivocal position that it belonged to them. Hayes called their bluff. Hayes let them know it could get messy. All agreed to more meetings on the other demands.

Round two went to the President, or so he thought. The aliens were as good as their word. The ships moved off past Jupiter with one stationed behind the moon. NASA had a couple of telescopes there orbiting at the Earth-Moon L2 point and quickly discovered the hiding spacecraft. However, that information was never revealed to the general public.

Once again, retired Lt. General George Hammond stood before the Stargate and just shook his head. The things he did for these people. Oh well, he thought, and stepped through to the other side. Major Davis followed. Both were astonished to find a busy terminal with the usual travelers and goods moving around. Someone came to whisk them to their destination. Someone else came to tell them that their small arms had been disabled the moment they stepped through the Gate. The polite young man asked if they would like to dispose of their useless items. Hammond shrugged and pulled out his side arm to hand it over. Davis did the same. It was like going to the Tollan all over again. Maybe the Tollan got the disabling device from these folks.

An hour later, Hammond and Davis entered the royal country estate. The doors swung open and uniformed staff ushered them to a small office near the front door. Jack was already there.

"Hello, General, good to see you. Davis." Jack nodded and tried to smile. At least here were familiar faces.

"I've told you to call me George. I'm retired Jack." Hammond sat down behind the desk.

"Right, but General just keeps slipping out. Ok, then George, how bad?" Jack looked at his fingers. Hammond gave Jack the papers. He read them and snarled a yes, sir. Jack let his demeanor speak for him.

"Jack, you have to understand. We don't have a lot of bargaining chips. They are willing to keep talking, provided we formalized your arrangements here." Hammond knew Jack was upset. "There are internal considerations."

"Oh please." Jack huffed.

"The point is that they have to negotiate again in three months. Also, we got you back your team. SG-1 reports to you directly now. The aliens have agreed to designate them as your staff. So you are not alone. The aliens have also agreed to let myself or someone else at my level come to see you as often as necessary." Hammond paused. "And you can have anything you want brought from Earth."

"But, I'm not allowed to go back, am I right?" Jack got impatient. "I shoulda let the dog out" Jack looked up to see Hammond's concern. "I'm joking, sir. I don't have a dog. Although, there are the pros and cons to consider." He looked away to hide his emotions.

"You are coming back. Don't ever doubt that. Don't worry; we'll take care of your things while you are away. An Acting-Homeworld Security director was put in place. I'm sorry, but this could drag out." Hammond sympathized. "Do you have any idea what they really want from you?"

"Only what they claimed themselves. They need help with their military. They want to kick some alien butt out here and think they need me to do it." Jack reached in his pocket and off-handedly tossed out a gold object. "They even pinned a medal on me in front of the King."

Hammond smiled and said softly, "Jack, I promise to get a order from the Joint Chiefs that lets you wear it. And you and I both know how much you miss being in the field. Well here you are. You are on the front lines. So stop bullshitting." Hammond regarded Jack thoughtfully. "Jack, you have the ability to ensure that these people don't do anything nasty. You could even make us some powerful allies. Now, you have your orders, airman."

"Yes, sir." Jack knew Hammond was right. He did miss the action while being behind a desk at the Pentagon. And he missed going off-world. If he had his team with him, it had possibilities. "Tell the President he has nothing to worry about, sir."

"That's what I came to hear, Jack. Now, is there a place to wash up?" Hammond stood. Jack directed him to an elaborate powder room.

Major Davis looked at Jack, "Sir, if you need anyone else, I would consider it an honor."

Jack just placed his hand on the man's shoulder and said, "I appreciate that, Davis. I'll keep it in mind."

"So where are we exactly, sir?" Davis looked around at the large home.

"The King's country estate," replied Jack. "He left a while ago."

"You met him? What's he like?" asked Davis. Hammond walked up.

"He's powerful, very powerful." Jack looked to Hammond. "So, now what? You get the fifty-cent tour of the city?"

"No, we are instructed to return immediately with your answer. The alien ambassador is in the White House as security for our safe return. I don't think it's much security. All they have to do is fly over the place and beam him up. But everybody keeps up the pretence anyway." Hammond offered Jack his hand and left. Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and softly blew out a sigh.

That night, news screens all over the Commonwealth blared the news. O'Neill the Great was theirs. He was bringing the famous SG-1 as his staff. General Hammond and Major Davis made a momentary appearance on the news, arriving, going to the Estate, and leaving through the Gate. The Palace announced that O'Neill's official title now was Earth Force Advisor. The party began in earnest. It wouldn't wind down for another three days.

Elsewhere in the Country House, Lady Anna ended the conference call with the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Minister informed her that the Earth government accepted their ruse. For the next several weeks, the fleet could be redeployed elsewhere. The remaining ships were beginning to reinforce Earth's star system. Equipment was being positioned among the outer planets. In addition, Commonwealth threats of ground action had the primitives in a panic sufficient for them to concede O'Neill. Of course, they tried to save face by limiting the engagement to three months. And the Ambassador managed to get the concession of SG-1's presence without the President knowing that was among their objectives. The Minister informed her that work was progressing on cleaning out Stargate Command and other Earth sites of the alien surveillance devices. Commander Derek had performed his operation to send signals back through the arrays. Teams were already tracking down the signals' destinations. In addition, Commonwealth operatives were inserted at various strategic points on the planet to install their own devices. All was proceeding as she had commanded.

At Commander Eli's home, Carter and Mitchell were sitting with their hosts in the dining room, when a ruckus started in the kitchen. Servants came bursting in to tell them the good news. Lord O'Neill was now Lady Anna's Earth Force Advisor. SG-1 had the high honor and privilege of being his direct staff. Everyone was bowing and smiling at the two of them. And the two Lt. Colonels just gaped in shock.

"Looks like somebody made an end run around the good General," Mitchell observed.

"We have to get out of here." Carter whispered to Mitchell. "I know the General, he would never agree to this." Carter addressed Commander Eli, "I must go to, um, Lord O'Neill. We must go immediately."

Commander Eli shook his head. "Col. Carter, until you are officially summoned, no one is going anywhere." He left the room shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Lady Anna contacted her team at Military Headquarters. She wanted updates on current activities before presenting O'Neill to the Admiralty the next day. Her assistants read her the most important action items. She cleared these issues so she would be free to deal with political situations all morning. The Great Council's budget committee was meeting in an unscheduled session. If they thought they could get away with more cuts to her programs, it was not going to happen. Not this time, she thought. With her power in the ascendant, she had no doubt matters would change according to her directions.

Farther out of town, Daniel and Teal'c stood in the farmhouse watching the pandemonium on the news screen. Gasps and shrieks of delight punctured the gathering at the farmhouse. Dr. Gilead came up to Daniel with tears in his eyes. He bowed and smiled at both of them. "This is a blessing, a true blessing." His wife came up to him and just hugged her husband.

"Um, we have to speak to General O'Neill, immediately, if you please. I know he would want to talk to us right now. We have to go to him. How do we call him?" Daniel was getting frantic.

Dr. Gilead looked up at them. "There is no need, Dr. Jackson. He is with the Royal Family. Someone will contact me when it is time. Until then, you are here as my guests." Their host turned away to join the rest of the family. Daniel did not need another reminder that this had been a set up to isolate them from Jack.

Back at the King's Country House,a servant knocked softly on the door. O'Neill was absorbed in a game of toss the medal. The servant knocked again a little louder. "What!" Jack called out. The door opened and the young man bowed and announced the dinner invitation from Lady Anna. "Tell her I am not hungry. Thanks but no thanks." Jack was being surly again. The servant left. Jack went back to flipping the object.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. "I told you to tell her I'm not coming." Jack growled.

"Oh, she got the message, My Lord." Lady Anna replied softly. The medal landed in Jack's palm but he did not turn around. All right, he was going to sulk. She had handled this reaction before with men. Hmmm, what was the right way to play it, tender or tough, she wondered. She chose soft. This man could not be bullied. So she just went up to him and touched his shoulder gently. Reflexively he looked around.

No doubt about it, she was one gorgeous, sexy woman. And, he wasn't interested. Or maybe he was. He wasn't sure. She kept him off balance. "So, now what?" Jack went back to flipping the medal. Her hand reached out and caught it in midair. Taking a seat beside him, Lady Anna regarded him patiently. She waited for his reaction. Sometimes, just being quiet ended an argument. Gently, she offered back the object. He just regarded her without moving. So she laid it on the desk and looked back at him again. Finally, Jack sighed. This was going nowhere. "Ok, lady, let's have it. What do you really want? And cut the crap."

"Take my hand, Jack." She held out her right hand. He hesitated, wondering briefly if she would suddenly stick it in his head. Finally, he took her hand. Nothing happened. It was a warm gentle hand. "Feel that, Jack? That is the hand of a woman. A human being." She put her other hand on his, lightly. "We are humans, Jack. And nothing and no one can say that fact is more important to each of us, than anything else in this universe. We need each other. Some of us just don't realize it yet." She paused and kept hold of his hand. "I need you, Jack." She looked into his eyes and paused. "You of all people know what's out there. Predators out there think we are the prey." She waited for him to nod. "Work with me to make all our people safe." He gave her an appraising stare. "I am asking you to do the right thing, and you know it, or you would not have come here so easily." She gave him a knowing thoughtful look. "We both know you could have refused. But you didn't. And that says everything."

Jack looked at her, trying to decide which way to go. She seemed to be genuine. But then she was a woman. He felt confused and did not like it one bit. Ok, fella, play along. "And what is the right thing according to you, that is?" Jack wasn't ready to give in just yet. "So, you taking over Earth and adding it to your collection of planets?"

"If a couple hundred years from now our people feel the need to join, then they will do so. None of that matters now if we don't take care of the problem we have today." She was still holding his hand. And she still had not answered his question.

"A couple hundred years? So, that's it. You do intend to conquer us." Jack held her hand more firmly. "What do you have in mind, lady, a world of laborers for your farm colonies? Or is the plan to just get rid of us, and be done with it?"

"Nothing so dramatic." She gave him a sorrowful look. "Jack, you are hurting my hands."

"I'll do more than hurt your hands if you don't answer me," Jack growled. But he let up some on the pressure.

She endured the grasp. "We can not steal your world from you. It is against our law." He did not release the pressure. "Think of this alliance as a marriage. Marriage is not conquest. It takes mutual consent. Both sides benefit and create a family. The larger the family, the safer everyone will be." She looked down. He was dangerous tonight. "For now, let's begin a courtship. We don't even know if we can get along together."

Jack realized he had gone too far. He released her. "I, I'm sorry. I should not have done that." He wasn't sorry but he had to say something. He'd gotten what he wanted from her. Probably. And he was probably going to jail for this. But then, she must want him badly or she would have called for the guards. He took his time giving her a thorough once over. She was a magnificent woman. It was difficult to imagine someone so beautiful and gentle as evil. Nothing she had said was so bad. Nothing she had done so far had crossed the line. And this gorgeous creature seemed to really, really want him. He wondered if he had lost his perspective.

Lady Anna stifled an urge to backhand him across the face for his audacity to hurt her. On the other hand, she reminded herself, she needed this barbarian. And O'Neill had just proved he was a magnificent barbarian. He would have killed her, if he thought it necessary. So she just rubbed her hands. She wasn't ready to look at him again, lest he see her anger. Looking down she firmly said, "No, Jack, you should not have done that." Anna rose and turned to leave. Instead she turned back and stepped up to him, looked him straight in the eye, and asked, "friend or foe?" He was surprised. He had come close to deciding to kill her, and she knew it. This woman had courage to stand up to him like that.

"I'm thinking friend." He reached for her hand. Anna hesitated, but she let him take it. "So, what's for dinner? I'm hungry."

The dog days of summer in Washington, DC make one wonder how anyone survived before air-conditioning. Throughout mid-August, water condenses outside on the windows and runs down in rivulets all day. People wearing eyeglasses discover their lenses fog up immediately upon exiting a building. Wet things mildew almost immediately. And dogs have a tough decision whether or not to go outside for a walk.

President Hayes had a few tough decisions to make that hot August morning. The United Nations Security Council demanded that the United States get the aliens to back off their demands or it would have to relinquish the Stargate to U.N. control. The Security Council unanimously rejected the American ambassador's suggestion to accommodate the Commonwealth aliens. The Security Council declared the International Commission overseeing the Antarctic base under their control and threatened to send U.N. Peacekeepers to the site. The U.S. veto was laughed off. Then the Security Council told the U.S. to comply by the end of the month. The other nations of the world unanimously agreed to declare war on America. As a result, America was at DefCon Three.

A day before, the Commonwealth Ambassador indicated that they were monitoring the situation. These folks hsf precipitated this whole fiasco. As such,they could not stand by and let the cataclysm of war destroy the Holy Mother Planet. The President wondered what the real price for this help would be.Apparently, for the sake of Jack O'Neill, they were willing to help his people.

At that moment, the Commonweath was trying to help itself vis a vis the Goa'uld. The Sabbath over, Commander Eli boarded the Super Dreadnaught _Acca._ The task force under his command had a date with a Goa'uld breeding facility. On the way, he ran and re-ran tactical simulations. His people were as ready as they ever would be. More importantly, this was the first task force of this size to go into combat. The eyes of the Commonwealth would be on them. This had better go down right. Intelligence estimates were correct. There were indeed eight Hatak class ships guarding the planet. That was all.

"Deploy the weapons pods and load countermeasures," ordered Commander Eli. He looked at the tense faces of the bridge crew. He himself showed no emotion. The crew had to depend upon him. "Raise shields after the pods are in tow and the FTL (faster than light) com drones are out." The ships had the advantage of speed, as the Hataks had not even noticed them. He wondered how close they could get. His fleet could activate the weapons effectively only within a narrow range and still remain outside the enemy's range.

"Sir, they have seen us. Enemy ships moving to intercept course. Sir, I have multiple ships discharging from the Hataks. We can ID Alkesh and Gliders on the way." The Commander nodded. There wasn't much those ships could do against Commonwealth shields. "Sir, we are in weapons range and have calculated a solution for the closest 4 Hataks." His tactical officer waited for orders.

"How many minutes until we are in range of 6 Hataks and still within the safety envelope?" Commander Eli wanted to get as many on the first salvo as possible.

"Two minutes to optimum solution, My Lord." The crew seemed to hold their breath those two long minutes. "Mark, solution optimum in twenty seconds," called the tactical officer.

_"Fire!"_ Commander Eli watched the screen as the first round of missiles activated.

"My Lord, enemy Alkesh are making a bombing run. Brace for impact." Sirens went off. The vessel shook under the force.

"Damage report," demanded the Commander.

"Shields holding but reduced. We have a targeting solution on some of the Alkesh." The tactical officer was keeping his cool.

"Fire at will by the solutions." Commander Eli was still watching the missiles approach the Hataks. And then they disappeared as their hyperdrives activated. The 6 Hatak vessels exploded as the missiles reappeared inside the ships, never having to actually breach the shields. So far so good. "Have we computed a solution for the other two?"

"In progress, My Lord. My Lord, one of the Hataks is making a direct course for one of the SDs, the _Hebron_." The tactical officer put the ship on the holographic view panel. "Alkesh bombers are in energy weapons range."

"Fire at will, Tactical. Take out those Alkesh. Has the _Hebron _fired on the Hatak?" Commander Eli was getting worried. Maybe this Hatak had a death wish. It could do some serious damage, even to an SD.

"No, My Lord. Sending a plotting solution to the _Hebron_ and the two nearest battle cruisers. No response, My Lord." The bridge crew already knew the problem. The crew on the _Hebron _was refusing to take life. It was not obvious that the other two ships would either.

"Send in more battle cruisers. Have them launch everything they have on that Hatak." Commander Eli watched with quiet desperation. "Launch our light attack craft (LAC). Have them make a run on that Hatak."

"Launching LACs, My Lord." Two of the closest battle cruisers changed course toward the Hatak. It would be close. The images of the ships merged together. The images of the LACs and the Gliders closed in on each other. The LACs fired their weapons. Several Glider blips darkened. But several LACs also went dark. The Tactical Officer felt sick. "My Lord, the _Hebron_ reports damage and casualties, but it is still there. The enemy Hatak is destroyed."

"Order the rest of the fleet to mop up the Alkesh and Gliders. Beam aboard the prison ship any Jaffa who will surrender. Proceed to step two. Take out the planetary defenses as planned." Commander Eli looked around at his crew with appreciation. They did their duty. For this society, a new age had begun right here.

On the Capital Planet, Lady Anna and General O'Neill had finished their luncheon with key industry executives and were on their way to meet with the Planetary Governors. Jack was asked to speak and give his version of the "Battle of Vorash." The Lady sure guessed right. This subject never failed to impress the crowd. He was a big hit. The com system alerted her to a priority message. Lady Janelle's hologram appeared. Jack passed his hand through the motes of light. It just never got old for him.

"My Lady," began Janelle, "Admiral Zay reports operations against Baal's breeding facility were successful." She did not look happy. Jack was curious.

"Casualties?" Anna looked worried. Janelle was not pleased.

"Many, my Lady. One SD was crippled in the Act of Refusal." Janelle could not go on.

"Understood. Exile the entire crew to the Moon of Korash. We shall make an example of them. Notify the families involved. Penance will be required. Anna out." Lady Anna shut off the com.

"Act of Refusal? Penance? What's going on, Anna?" Jack was alarmed. This sounded awful. Anna took a moment. She was visibly affected. Then she turned to Jack with anger and sadness.

"This is exactly why we need you, General O'Neill. Baal got away from us on Earth last week." Anna drew in her breath. "This morning, our fleet engaged Baal's forces to destroy a Goa'uld breeding facility. The next generation Kull warriors Baal is making needed those prim'tah. During the engagement, one of our largest ships did not fight. We call it the Act of Refusal. I must make an example of them."

"They mutinied?" Jack was astonished. "Why, what is this Act all about? And what did you mean by penance would be required?" He had been looking for signs of weird and here it was.

"Our people take literally the Commandment not to kill. Many will sacrifice themselves rather than kill the enemy, even to defend their own families. There are clear exceptions to that rule in the Teachings. But some will not bend. Now you know." The Lady was visibly shaken. An entire SD had refused to fight in the heat of battle. "Penance is a public act acknowledging personal responsibility for moral turpitude. They are guilty of the murder of their comrades who died in the fighting without their support."

Jack was astounded. He had never heard of such a thing. He had never imagined these people were so serious about the Ten Commandments. Certainly most people on Earth gave them lip service these days. But these folks were a breed apart. "Anna, I am so sorry. I had no idea things were like this. This is part of that backlash about which you were telling me?" Jack did not know what else to say.

"Yes, I told you from the start, Jack. We have been a peaceful people for two thousand years. I've spent the last seven years since the Attack trying to turn this situation around. I've been building the military up from useless decoration to a force that can defend us." She spoke softly down at her hands. "Today you saw what kind of a struggle it has been."

"Anna, will there be any inquiry, a trial, some procedure to determine who was at fault?" Jack could not believe this summary judgment was for real. "What will happen to the crew?"

"Of course, the data recordings from all the ships will be reviewed by the Lords of the Admiralty. The commanders and officers of the other ships will testify. We shall attempt to learn from our mistakes. But, I assure you, every single person on that ship knew the consequences. We shall make an example of them swiftly." Anna looked at him with sad determined eyes. "They will live out their lives in exile never to return to us."

"Does this happen often?" Jack asked her. One look answered that question. "And you think I know what to do about all this?" She nodded. He frowned.

"Are you deaf, Jack? Or just not interested?" Anna was seething with frustration.

Jack realized that her back was up against the wall. She was reaching for straws. He had to be cautious. If she could pass sentence like that, she was more powerful than he had realized. This was really uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what to think. After all he had only known her one week. But she had shown him her hand. So, he pushed her a little more. "Why all those wacky demands back on Earth, Anna?" He knew if he watched and waited something would turn up. It always did. He just needed to goad her a little more.

"They were not wacky demands. It's a matter of perspective." Anna snorted in irritation. She looked out the window. "Trust me, Earth was a disappointment. We expected to find you more advanced." Anna saw his surprise. "Yes, Jack, a big disappointment."

Jack was offended. "Yes, we have heard that before. But we have our moments." She must be going somewhere with this. "So if we are so backward, why bother?"

"Right now, this moment, I am asking myself the same question." Anna met his gaze.

Man she was good. Really good. Jack just rubbed his eyes and said nothing. Poker was such an interesting game.


	6. Force of Nature

**Chapter Six: Force of Nature**

Colonel Mitchell spent the day at the Military Academy observing their training programs. All afternoon, he watched cadets run simulations of space battles using virtual ships, holographic displays, and control equipment. But something was missing. These people had no feel for a fight. So he asked the Moderator to set him up on one of the sims as the enemy. With a little instruction, he learned to work the controls with Teal'c. In each case, Mitchell and Teal'c destroyed the opposing ships. The Moderator watched with interest.

Colonel Mitchell pushed back from the simulator in disgust. "Is it possible to vary the scenario? You know, put in other possibilities, other obstacles than what you have programmed here? This is too easy." He looked at the sim moderator.

"Of course Colonel Mitchell. But this emulator incorporates all known tactics of the Jaffa and even enhances them. What did you want to change?" The Moderator knew something unusual would come from these barbarian warriors. He had a rare opportunity to learn from a real Jaffa. So, he called over some of the other instructors and told them what was planned. "Please, describe a situation you want to simulate."

"Well, what would these students do if say, we gave them damage to control? You know start a fire on various levels. Can you simulate smoke in the virtual ship here?" The Moderator nodded. "Can we have 4 or 5 deck levels?" The Moderator entered the commands. Mitchell added, "and can we program it to have the elevators stop working?" Mitchell looked up at the Moderator, who nodded. "And make some of the ships lose communications with CIC. Have the enemy get up close and personal with the smaller ships. Let these kids try their hands at a dogfight." The Moderator looked confused by the term. "Um, a close engagement where the smaller ships fight each other in close proximity. And, oh, make the missile controls damaged so they won't fire from the CIC."

"An excellent suggestion, Colonel. However, it should not affect anything. The systems have built in redundancy." The Moderator called for the lead instructor and had him make the modifications. "All is ready now. Let's see what the students will do." The three adults looked knowingly at one another. The Moderator had a good idea where these two were going.

"Let the games begin." Mitchell was grinning. Teal'c just raised an eyebrow.

And sure enough, confusion started immediately. The students got disoriented. The non-working elevators stumped the few students who attempted damage control. Only one girl figured out how to open an emergency hatch to crawl up three levels to put out a fire. Two kids passed out. Half of the crew abandoned their stations to help them. Two more kids tried to re-route power to the missile chambers. Mitchell and Teal'c donned their virtual eyes and fingered the controls. Then, flying their own light craft in the simulators, they tore up the virtual big ship, and picked off the kids in the dogfight immediately. "Yeah, that was better than playing Space Invaders." Mitchell joked to Teal'c.

Teal'c had that scary look when he took point on a mission. "You have never tried situations under real combat conditions. These simulations are inadequate." He looked away disgusted. "Even as First Prime, I gave better instruction to my apprentices."

"We are grateful for this afternoon's demonstrations, Your Honors. I shall make the necessary recommendations to the Academy's Director immediately." The Moderator bowed and excused himself. Actually, he was terribly disturbed. A Jaffa and a primitive barbarian defeated the cream of the Academy's crop.

Meanwhile, Daniel was at lunch in the Faculty Club with the Chairmen of the Archaeology and Anthropology departments of the main university in the Capital. He spent a productive morning looking at the many unique artifacts. It was as fine a collection as any he had ever seen. Their questions were interesting and their knowledge of their own history broad. It was a good exchange of ideas. Of course, he also had to tell them the story of Vorash from his point of view. That never got old over here, apparently. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the room. Heads perked up and chairs swiveled to face an immense view screen. The news came on. He looked up to hear what everyone was intently watching.

"Once again, the Admiralty reports our fleet engaged the Goa'uld this morning to eradicate the enemy's Kull Warrior facility. Seven Hatak vessels were destroyed. One escaped. Numerous Al'kesh and Gliders were also destroyed in the battle. Over 300 Jaffa surrendered and were taken into custody. The facility is under Commonwealth control at this time. The fleet liberated 2607 human slaves. Their evacuation is underway." Heads were bobbing in the audience.

However," the news anchor seemed to blanch, "His Majesty's Starship _Hebron_ engaged in the Act of Refusal during the battle. As a result, the Admiralty reports that 217 lives of Commonwealth citizens in other ships were tragically lost. The ship itself was badly crippled and its crew suffered 817 casualties. In response, Our Judge of the People has sentenced the crew of the _Hebron_ to exile. Their families and clans must make Penance one month from today. Stay tuned for more of this breaking news as we receive it." The Talking Heads came on and someone turned it off. People seemed to be stunned. No one moved. No doubt about it, Daniel knew something big had happened. Here was something important to investigate.

* * *

On the third day that week, Jack assembled the team in his office. He had to admit, these Commonwealth folks really took good care of him. Whatever the aliens were up to, it would be a nice ride getting there. As far as he could tell, he and the team were in no personal danger. And he had sent a report through to Hammond last night. Carter took it through the Stargate herself and delivered it to General Landry. Just looking at her face, he knew she was really enjoying herself. Jack was glad. He liked seeing that light in her eyes. Together, they were off to have an adventure. Enough with the meet and greet. Lady Anna would not tell him their destination. But this should be good.

"Good morning, campers," Jack greeted the team. "We are going on a field trip today. But don't ask me where. I don't know."

"Sir, you have no idea where we are going?" Carter looked at him expectantly.

"I look at it this way, Carter; we are here for three months anyway. So, we might as well take a road trip. A little diversion would be good. I don't know about you, but I would give anything not to talk about," he mouthed the word, 'Vorash.' Everyone groaned. Teal'c raised an eyebrow and looked disgusted. Jack looked around. He had even managed to persuade the Lady to let them wear BDU's in camouflage, with their utility flak jackets. If only she let him have his P90, it would be like old times. He felt naked without it in the field.

"Sir, what made her cough up this gear?" Mitchell wanted to know. He was sick of dress blues as well.

"I had a tantrum, sort of." Jack paused at everyone's shocked expressions. "I told her I would not come out to play today unless she let me be me." He just grinned. They all grinned trying to picture that scene. "Well then she offered a trade. In exchange for some leeway, I agreed to take a look at some on-going operations in the field. Sort of doing the Earth Force Advisor thing." Jack put his baseball cap on and checked the curve of the brim.

The doors opened and the Lady herself entered wearing some sort of dark uniform with insignia. The three military officers made a salute. The other two bowed. She seemed satisfied. Jack looked at her form appreciatively. The woman was gorgeous, and powerful, and dangerous. He had to remind himself again about the dangerous part. Just ask the crew of the ship she exiled in one breath. The Lady said something softly and the next thing they knew they were elsewhere. Jack moved over to the window and looked out. She moved purposefully out of the room and along a corridor. They had no choice but to follow.

"So, where are we, My Lady?" Jack asked her as he caught up.

"On my flagship, the _O'Neill_, My Lord General," Lady Anna smiled to herself. "We have a briefing once we transfer into the Junction. Right now we are on our way to the bridge."

Jack looked at Carter for an explanation. She shook her head. They reached the bridge in short order. Everyone came to attention and saluted. O'Neill was taken aback. He bent over to Carter and Daniel whispering, "my idea." He was in fact very pleased. The captain made the introductions. One of the younger girls at a console fainted when she heard Jack's name.

"Doesn't get old, does it Jack?" Daniel looked around. It was an impressive set up.

"What," responded Jack? All the lights blinking, the holograms everywhere, and the pretty lieutenant walking by him, mesmerized Jack.

"You still live in the moment, don't you?" Daniel asked himself more than Jack.

"What," came back the reply? "You said something?" Jack was distracted.

"What," replied Daniel? He was looking at all the activity himself by now. Carter had moved over to one of the displays and spoke to the technician. Mitchell was staring at the view screen. Teal'c, well he was looking inscrutable.

And then the unexpected happened. Lady Anna took the captain's chair and assumed command. She looked as though she was born in that seat. Jack could not believe his eyes. Obviously, she was a seasoned professional. And each member of the crew had expected her to command. Now he was curious. Every time he thought he had her pegged, she came up with a new Anna. The ship began its journey. Sweet thought Jack. He knew then he could never go back to a desk job.

The _O'Neill_ left the solar system and continued out for a while. On the main screen something big loomed ahead. Jack looked over to find Carter. She caught his eye and moved around to him. "It's a giant wormhole, sir. And it is stable. The tech at the console over there explained it. Sir, that's a naturally occurring nexus of normal space, hyperspace, and something else outside our normal dimension. I didn't understand what it is called. It's similar to the ones we generate in the Stargate. Only this one is permanent. This is incredible, sir. We only theorized such events were possible. But," and she stopped. Even Carter was caught up in the moment.

Lady Anna adjusted speed and course. The crew tensed. The Lady calmly ordered them to light up the particle sails. Smoothly, the ship slipped into the hole. Unlike entering a Stargate's wormhole, the ship did not immediately exit. They were traveling in something none of the team had ever seen. Carter was excited. The others were aghast. Once through, the crew relaxed. Everyone clapped and congratulated each other. Apparently, that was a transfer. Mitchell looked at the others, thinking, "Oh yeah, this was worth it."

* * *

While the Team journeyed through the giant wormhole, matters on Earth came to a head. George Hammond entered the Oval Office for his scheduled briefing. The President looked as though he had aged ten years these last ten days. Well this should perk him up, thought Hammond. "Sir, I have a report here from General O'Neill. It's a doosie. Thought you might want to see the original." He handed it over. The President began to read. And then he began to smile. And then he started to chuckle.

"Thanks, George. That was the best present you could have given me. We just got some chips added to our stack. Nice going." Hayes had a sly look on his face. "I have to consider the angles to this, but right now I'm thinking the situation has turned around."

"I thought you would say that, Mr. President." Hammond smirked and shook his head. SG-1 had done it again.

* * *

Out with the Commonwealth fleet, Admiral Zay was in the simulator with his senior staff officers. They had received word of the barbarians' visit to the Academy the day before. Zay's staff insisted that the sims were not realistic and could not happen in real life. Zay was afraid of the opposite. He ordered another set of runs through the simulators. After his team re-ran the scenario from the Academy for a fourth time, everyone was amazed by Mitchell and Teal'c. Even more impressive was their responses at the enemy controls used. Considering the barbarians had never used the sims program or the equipment, their performance was shattering preconceptions.

"We have a problem people." Zay did not mince words. "Have the computers analyze the enemy movements during Commander Eli's engagement. Compare them to these. Then run a set of permutations and feed it into the sims. I want to test the new parameters immediately on ourselves." He stood up and went back to his day cabin. This was truly a disturbing situation. Apparently, Commonwealth tactics were not what they should be. That coupled with the Act of Refusal on Eli's watch, Zay was not in a hurry to take on the renegade Free Jaffa. He left orders with his adjutant to schedule the new drills round the clock for the next four days.

* * *

On the bridge of the _O'Neill_, Lady Anna beckoned to Jack to come sit next to her. She dismissed the Team to O'Neill's office. Daniel looked peeved, but O'Neill shrugged back his response. In the chair next to Lady Anna, Jack sat back thinking life didn't get much better than riding on a huge honking starship, sitting next to a pretty woman, who wanted him. Well, sort of wanted him. Anyway he wasn't interested. She was fascinating. But what would a guy like him do with a woman like that anyway? He grinned.

"So what's the game plan, ma'am? Jack assumed his patient look.

"I thought we would go for a ride in the country." She kept a straight face. "Seems like a nice day for it."

"You have a sense of humor, ma'am. Well then, there's hope for you." Jack snarked back. "Why did you send my team away?"

"Too many non-essential personnel here. It's crowded as it is." She accepted an information pad from a staffer. "Besides, we can talk for a few minutes here. I won't have much time soon. We have to transfer out."

"You wanted to surprise me, why?" Jack was all business.

"Why not? I enjoyed it." She eyed her display. "Look, this is where I belong. I do the political circuit because I must. I play the diplomat because the King makes me. If things were different, I would never be away from here. I think you feel the same way too. You don't want to be stuck at headquarters any more than I do." Lady Anna sat back and watched him. He kept his emotions off his face, but his eyes told her the whole story. Jack sighed. She sure had that right. He hated his desk job. But he was too old and too high ranking to keep going out in the field.

"I don't have a choice any more than you do."

"I think you do, My Lord General. And you see it here today." Lady Anna shifted in her chair. "Do you think the Asgaard will remove this genetic marker if you ask them?"

"Probably. Thor's a buddy." Jack replied. "However he will want to check out your procedures. Then what?"

"That's up to you, My Lord." Lady Anna was busy with something on her console. "What do you want, General? What would you do with an extra 60 to 80 years of life?"

Jack sat back stunned. He had never asked himself that question. "I don't know. But I have a question for you, ma'am." He looked at her for permission. She nodded. "I just gotta know. How old are you anyway?" She gave him such a look. Uh oh, he thought. Oops. Oh well. "There is something else I want to ask you." He looked at her with his most charming smile and said, "I was wondering, can I drive?"

* * *

In the game of high stakes Poker, sometimes you have to go all in. In that case, you move all your chips into the pot and hope the other guys fold. When you don't have as many chips as your opponents, that's a risky move. But President Hayes knew he had the best hand. General O'Neill sent him a report from the alien's homeworld after a week's stay. He described a people so peaceful that efforts to build a military were tearing them apart. Jack told the President about the mutiny. O'Neill described how some of the aliens actually refused to fight because it conflicted with the Commandment not to kill. Although the aliens were definitely up to something, Jack did not believe they were an immediate threat. The President had at least once ace from that.

Furthermore, O'Neill also described a force of nature named Lady Anna. By sheer force of personality and the King's powerful backing, she was transforming her people from sheep to lions. It wasn't going smoothly. It turned out her real objective was to find military expertise. She was determined to conduct strikes against the Goa'uld and their allies the Wannabes, who were really up to no good. And for the kicker in the whole matter, Lady Anna really did want Jack. Knowing all this, President Hayes could deal with his opponents on Earth knowing he had at least a pair of pocket aces and probably a set.

Hayes' opponents had been busy. The United Nations General Assembly had threatened to declare war on the United States over this incident. It demanded the Stargate be relinquished to U.N. control. That was not going to happen. So, President Hayes contacted the other four members of the Gate Alliance Treaty. It so happened that these five countries were also permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. But these allies were disgruntled because the U.S. had interpreted the Treaty to apply only to non-military technology. Today, President Hayes gave them a chance to talk to him directly. Each one jumped at the chance. They had personnel on Atlantis, at the Gamma Site, and in Antarctica. In fact, they were secretly working in the IOC, an international body overseeing the Stargate Program. No one really wanted a war. They were bluffing.

When the President retold the story to Hammond, he could not suppress a smirk. "These guys are idiots. They gave me something for nothing. I asked them what it would take to calm down the U.N. They demanded direct access to the aliens and nothing less would do. They think they can deal with the aliens, but it's never going to happen. So I hemmed and hawed, pretending that this was a big deal. Then I told them they had me over a barrel, so fine. That calmed them down a little. But they were still hot and bothered that the aliens were going to attack them. So I told them if they want to negotiate with the aliens directly, take the matter up directly. See if you can do better than we can. It was a challenge they could not refuse. As we speak, the Russians are discussing how to send a delegation to the Commonwealth."

Hammond just chuckled. "Should I warn O'Neill or will his spontaneous reaction be better?"

"Oh, I think we know exactly what he will do. Let nature take its course." The President grinned and started laughing.

"I can't wait to hear how that turns out, sir." Hammond shook his head. "From what Colonel Carter told General Landry when she delivered O'Neill's report, they really are in love with Jack. The Russians won't get anywhere."

* * *

The aliens were playing poker too but did not have to go all in. The trip on board the alien ship, _O'Neill_, had been short. Apparently, they were set to rendezvous with the real players in the alien military. Even though contact with Earth was only ten days old, Lady Anna decided to risk part of her stack on her ability to figure Jack out. She was betting he could not resist an opportunity to kick some bad guys back to the stone age with her fancy equipment. After all, it was in everyone's interest. Lady Anna told O'Neill that she would fully disclose the situation at their destination, a secret military base. So Jack really did become her Earth Force Advisor. And Lady Anna won him as a tentative ally.

"Where have you been, sir? We were getting worried." Carter stood up as O'Neill came into his office on the alien ship. Mitchell got up as well. Daniel maintained his slouch. And Teal'c continued playing with some object he found in the office.

"She let me drive." He held out his arms and broke into a big smile. "She likes me."

"You got to sit in the big chair, sir?" Carter was impressed.

"Yeah it was cool. All the blinking lights, the holograms, I even got to sign a pad of requisition reports." He looked at the surprised faces. "So what's up?"

"She let you play Captain Kirk?" Mitchell was impressed. "You can dine out on that story forever, sir."

"Yeah, one other matter, Jack," Daniel made a face. "We all have our original quarters. I'm still assigned to that bunk at the far end of the ship." He arched an eyebrow and pouted. "I assume you are still getting the royal treatment?"

"Um yes, yes, I am. But I can look into your situation." Jack saw Daniel get peeved. "Ok I'll fix it." Jack shrugged. He touched a console button to summon his assistant. When she arrived, Jack told her to upgrade Daniel's quarters to the equal of the rest of the team and put him on the same deck. "There, are you happy?"

"What?" Daniel replied looking at something Sam had in her hands. "Are we there yet?"

"Where," asked Jack?

"There, where we are going," Daniel countered.

"We are supposed to get where there is soon." Jack answered. He had confused himself with that one. Immediately switching gears, Jack commented, "she asked me what I would do with an extra 80 years of life?" Jack sat down and twirled in his chair.

"Sir, if the Asgaard don't lift that DNA marker they put in you, you can't," Sam pointed out.

"There's that, but mustn't dwell. We have to get ready to meet and greet some more." Jack looked at Teal'c. "Apparently, they are really worried about letting you see some of their stuff. So, Big Guy, show them that Jaffa charm, ok?"

Teal'c looked offended. "I shall endeavor to extend the appropriate courtesies at all times." Then he practiced his smile.

"Right. That's what I meant." Jack rolled his eyes at Daniel. Mitchell suppressed a snort of laughter. He never imagined the great SG-1 was so off the wall.

After the ship docked at the base, the Team formed up to attend a formal briefing. When Commander Derek heard Teal'c was coming, he nearly had a stroke. And here he was. Apophis' Former First Prime walked into their inner sanctum. This place was the most closely guarded secret in the entire Commonwealth. To Derek's amazement, his Lady just brought in a Jaffa, and not just any Jaffa. Him, she brought Teal'c. Derek snarled, "what is **_HE_** doing here?"

"Shut your mouth Derek before you catch flies." Lady Anna saw there was going to be trouble. She knew what was going through his head. The tension in the room was so thick; it could be cut with a knife. She made a small nod to the security men who repositioned themselves between the commander and the big Jaffa. It wasn't enough. Derek went flying over the table at Teal'c. In the scuffle, Derek was knocked unconscious.

"Throw him in the brig. I'll deal with him later." She turned to Teal'c. "My most sincere apologies, Master Teal'c." Then she addressed him in the Chulak dialect and offered Jaffa signs of respect. Daniel translated for the team. Then she apologized to everyone else. "I should have seen that coming. It's my fault."

"Do tell, ma'am," Jack was pissed. "Feel like sharing?" He cocked his head to one side and positioned his arms. If this got any uglier, he would have to act.

"Derek blames Teal'c for the destruction of our Planet Asher. As First Prime to Apophis, he would be the one who led the attack. We all realize that was another time. Since then, Master Teal'c has made amends. Lady Anna surveyed the other officers for signs of mutiny. Jack wished he had his P90 at that moment. He looked around for something to use as a weapon. Mitchell and Carter were doing the same.

"I never attacked a world called Asher, My Lady. When did this attack occur?" Teal'c was stone faced.

"Seven years ago, a little more." The Lady looked at him wondering why.

"For the past nine years, I have been in the service of the Tau'ri, with O'Neill." Teal'c straightened to his full, dignified presence. Gasps and sighs went around the room. Everyone relaxed. Some looked embarrassed.

"Master Teal'c, we owe you an apology for having evil thoughts about you. I am even more apologetic." Lady Anna went up to him and bowed again. "You are indeed a righteous man, so let it be written." All the others bowed as well.

"Your mistake is understandable. I am appeased." Teal'c returned the bow.

"Please, come and sit next to me this day." She indicated the chair on her left. Everyone took his place. O'Neill sat to her right. "Let's be about it. Brief our new friends." The meeting continued for several hours.

* * *

Back in Washington, the alien's Earth Ambassador had a report to make. The situation with the petty barbarians provided tremendous comic relief. He couldn't wait to call his superior who also happened to be his cousin to relate this story.

"My Lord, I just had the funniest conversation. One of the little Earth provinces sent a representative to meet with me. He wanted to meet the King. Can you imagine?"

"Did you ask why?"

"The barbarian claims to represent a major Earth power. He thinks that without his province's cooperation, we shall have no end of trouble on Earth."

"So, who are they? And, how many people, and how big is the province?" The Second Lord of the Foreign Ministry for Emerging worlds became concerned.

"My Lord, they call themselves Republique Francaise. They are less than one percent of the Earth's population. But the way they talk about themselves, you would think they were half the planet. Total population is 60 million." The Ambassador was laughing at this point.

"We have outposts with more people. And they want to talk to the King, no less?" The Second Lord thought for a moment. "My wife has a 5th cousin once removed serving as an intern in the Nominal Industrialization division. He could use the experience of dealing with primitive civilizations.

"Why him?" asked the Ambassador.

"The guy is already 102 yrs old and can't get a decent job. I could send him to Earth for a couple of years." The Second Lord chuckled. "At least, it would get my wife off my back."

* * *

The Russians had their own agenda to fulfill. Heck with the other members of the Gate Alliance Treaty, especially the French. Ambassador Dmitri Pavlovich Orlov stood before the active Stargate at the SGC. So this was the ring. It was a daunting prospect. A young protocol officer had given his party a briefing, as if he needed a lesson in manners. He had been a diplomat for thirty years. He was the best. That was why Moscow chose him. Still, he had to remind himself this was an historic occasion with aliens. The ambassador was confident all his training and experience would serve him well. He knew what motivated people. He was a skilled negotiator. No doubt his study of historical trends would help him understand the real drivers of these aliens. History was a scientific matter. So he braced himself and stepped through.

The Russian delegation found themselves in the same terminal where SG-1 came through. However, they were not impressed. Busy terminals existed in Russia, too. Their guide ushered them to waiting air cars and took them to the new Earth Embassy. Here, they would stay overnight for their appointment in the morning. But the Russians would not stay in the Embassy. They wanted the aliens to know that they were a separate and equal entity to the United States. So the ambassador insisted on different lodgings. After confusion and more consultations with his superiors, the alien representative agreed. A shuttle took them to a walled estate outside the city.

The Commonwealth representative sighed to himself; truly, these people had no manners.

The next morning, the Russian Delegation had their appointment with the Second Lord of the Directorate for Emerging Worlds. Ambassador Orlov had his orders. He must present their case to the King. So when the Second Lord greeted him, the ambassador was polite but firm. He had to get past the first round of unimportant officials. The conversation went around a few times. Then the Ambassador decided to push a little. He asked what it would take to get an audience with the King. The Second Lord told him that the people in this directorate would be the most helpful to him. Since the King would not get involved, why would they want to see the King? The Ambassador insisted that his people were sufficiently large and powerful on Earth, therefore worth an audience with the King. The Second Lord informed them that he was the best person to assist them. The Ambassador was too shrewd for that ploy. He told the Second Lord, thanks, perhaps later. And so he pushed to move up the food chain to someone important.

_Very well, so be it._ The man got up and left. More functionaries tried to dissuade them, saying more could be accomplished here than at an audience with the King. The Russians did not believe them thinking it was just the runaround. This scenario went on for a week. Finally, one of the Russians took off his shoe and pounded it on the desk, as had Nikita Khrushchev in his time. The Americans had met with the King. The Russian people would not stand for anything less. As it happened it was the day of the quarterly scheduled audience. Traditionally, the King granted audiences to important visitors and officials once every quarter. So off the Russians went to the Palace.

At the end of the day, the Russians were the last to be admitted to the Great Hall of Audience. It was a stupendously decorated and cavernous room with hundreds of people milling about. At the far end, maybe a quarter of a mile away, sat the King on a dais. The Russians compared it to the Hermitage. They had beautiful palaces too. The ambassador was unfazed. The delegation marched up and handed their credentials to the ornately garbed official who passed the packet up to the King's aide. The King nodded at it. The Master of the Audience banged his staff, and the King rose and left. So did everyone else. Half an hour later, the Russians found themselves back in front of the Stargate and sent home.

The Gate Alliance members knew they screwed up. After hearing about the Russian and French experiences with the aliens, the British were more cautious. The Chinese, who knew patience, decided to wait. To the credit of the Chinese and the British, they decided more information was necessary before they attempted a meeting. As the British were wont to say, "discretion is the better part of valor." Both of them reserved their right to go later. The Russians were already grumbling that O'Neill had made things impossible.

* * *

At the alien military base, Admiral Zay arrived for the meeting with Lady Anna. A shuttle to the _O'Neill_ took him to his destination. The Admiral had disturbing news to report. The fleet's readiness could not be certain. The coming battle with the renegade Jaffa would have to be postponed. The drills on the new sims proved that something was missing in the thinking of the crew. He had no idea what that was. He ordered his Tactical Officers to contact the Intelligence Service for surveillance records of enemy tactics in action. He wanted a new comparison done. So, the Admiral scheduled time to talk to Teal'c and Mitchell. Apparently, these primitives had a better understanding of combat than anyone else they had met these last seven years.

On the _O'Neill_, the briefing had been in session for half the day. Lady Anna disclosed a dire situation. The Goa'uld and the Wannabes had established a firm foothold in a large sector of the galaxy close to Commonwealth territory. If the ships being built by the bad guys had progressed that far with such a complete and operational support network, then everyone was in big trouble. Holograms of the shipyards and the ships told the whole story. Lady Anna stated her objective that the ships and the shipyards had to be destroyed, along with the entire supply chain. The only question was how. Because the when was right now. Those birds would become operational in a few months. Jack realized the Commonwealth had good intelligence. But they had no clue what to do with it. Lady Anna was right. She did need help.

"Ok, I've heard enough." Jack spoke to the Lady. "We can do the job. But our losses may be steep. The question is what are you willing to do for us to justify our losses?"

"We assume you think eradicating this threat to save your people is not sufficient exchange?" Lady Anna knew he would try to negotiate. She didn't care. If they really could make a difference, a few trinkets were nothing. "What more would you have us do, My Lord General?"

"Ma'am, you did offer to advance my people. That's why I came." Jack sat back nonchalantly. He knew how much she wanted him and the assistance he could bring.

"Yes, I did. And what do you think your participation would require from us?" Lady Anna knew this old game. She was patient. Negotiation was a process. The game demanded that he leave the table with something he deemed significant to show his leaders. But she must not give in too quickly or the other side would be dissatisfied. They would think they could have done better. Anna understood the concept of win-win. Both sides must believe they have achieved something. And both sides must appear to be unsatisfied with the results no matter how happy they are. Otherwise the deal will never work out properly.

"Here's the deal. We need scientific advancement. For that we need an exchange between our people. Let our people work in your labs. Allow our personnel to train on your ships. After we get our bearings, we want our own ship." Jack gauged her reaction. There wasn't one. _Interesting._ "Do all that, and I will bring the best team of strategists you could ever want. We can take down these bastards, no problem. But I have to know now; will you really go through with it? No more Acts of what was it?"

"Acts of Refusal," Lady Anna finished for him. "Who are these people you would bring here? Are they your warriors?"

"Some of them are retired warriors, but yes, my warriors. And I know few civilians we need, too." Jack was sensing a deal. "And we can get the Jaffa to help." He looked over at Teal'c for confirmation.

Teal'c took that opportunity to represent his people. "My Lady, the Free Jaffa can be formidable allies. I sit on the High Council. There I have many supporters. But, they may have their own demands." Teal'c nodded to Jack.

O'Neill continued, "Maybe the Tok'ra will work with us too. And if we are lucky, the Asgaard will finally show up, but we won't wait for them." He looked around. He could read people. Some of these folks had a really hard time with the concept of working with the Jaffa. Every one of them had flinched when he said he wanted the Jaffa. Jack looked around the table. "What's up between the Jaffa and you folks?"

Admiral Zay looked over at Anna. He shrugged as if to say, in for a penny in for a pound. She didn't move. All the heads turned to her. Mitchell saw her hesitation and figured it out.

"They want to kill off the Jaffa," Mitchell said to Jack. He turned to Lady Anna. "Isn't that right? We teach them how to knock off these shipyards as a training exercise. Then they go after the Jaffa."

"This is outrageous!" Teal'c leaned forward toward the Lady. "If you do something like that, you are no better than the Goa'uld. They destroy entire worlds, as you well know. I cannot sit here and listen to this."

"Easy big fella. No one has said that. Have they?" He looked directly at Anna. She met his gaze. "I presume the Colonel is off the mark, is he not?

Lady Anna brought the full weight of her gravitas to bear in the look she gave O'Neill. She took her time to respond. Her eyes looked at him with patience. And then she spoke softly and deliberately as if to a child. "Yes, we have the ability to destroy the Jaffa. But we have not. You on the other hand have a poison and have used it on them. People who make and use poison are questionable allies."

The Lady paused, looked at her hand, and then she raised her eyes to meet O'Neill's. She looked at him as if she saw right through him. Her presence filled the room. "Our people have the moral fortitude to obey the Commandment not to kill. It is this moral core that is our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. At the moment it is making our lives miserable. Our people do have the means to prevail without your help. However, that road will be drawn out and bloody. Millions upon millions will die. We asked you here to try and find a short cut. We want to limit the casualties among our people and yours. However, we are still not certain that we are not making a pact with the devil dealing with you."

Her officers sat up straighter. Anyone could see the pride they had in her. They would follow her into Hell. Her charisma was that tangible. She was the only person who could have turned this whole society around. O'Neill understood for the first time who and what she really was. Here was a woman who was a true leader. The silence was deafening. No one moved. Finally, Daniel addressed himself to Lady Anna.

"My Lady, there is much we have in common. We believe in the same Ten Commandments that you do. We have most of your Teachings in our religious texts. So, we start from the same point. We face these challenges too."

At the other end of the table, Admiral Zay spoke next. "Our Great Lady has no need to explain herself to you. So I will attempt to caution you. All of you, and that includes our honored General, have behaved like barbarians to our Lady. She has graciously and patiently allowed herself to be insulted and disrespected for the sake of her people. That you and your team, including a Jaffa Master, are even sitting here in our most secret facility to hear our plans, attests to her desire for peace and good relations with Earth and the Jaffa. Understand this, if you can, our Lady has offered all of you nothing but kindness and courtesy. There isn't one of you who have responded in kind. As a result of unprecedented familiarity, you have gone too far. Are we clear?"

"Yes Admiral, we are clear." Jack looked at Lady Anna. " My apologies ma'am. Obviously, we jumped to the wrong conclusion. Even so, we should have been more respectful in our inquiries. It won't happen again." The General knew this meeting had gone horribly wrong.

"I think both sides have had their difficulties today. Dr. Jackson is correct. We do not know each other very well," Lady Anna said gently. "Let us remember our objective. the survival of our peoples. We shall all consider what we have learned. This meeting is adjourned."

Later in O'Neill's office, Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell received the dressing down of his life. He had taken the situation too lightly. All the bantering, verbal sparring, excitement and camaraderie made him lose his perspective. O'Neill told Mitchell his concerns should have been expressed privately. It was O'Neill's responsibility to handle the inquiry. As punishment, Jack confined Mitchell to quarters. Jack was so angry that Mitchell was lucky he wasn't thrown out an airlock.

Once he took a break, Jack sat down to deal with the situation. His bargaining position had just been flushed. He knew he had to re-establish goodwill. And he had to establish his bona fide credentials, because his team was never leaving here unless he performed. Jack had seen the faces in that room. So, Jack wrote a letter to the President. He explained the situation as being dire for Earth, which it was. In broad terms, the General explained the gist of the problem. Jack constructed a game plan. He requested permission to proceed. In the letter, he requested support. Jack requisitioned a list of personnel, contractors, and supplies. While going down the list, the General realized something important in this situation. Earth had more to offer than just military expertise. So he asked for products unique to Earth. He decided to charm the Lady with some well chosen gifts. And he decided two weeks without his morning coffee was enough.

Later that evening in Lady Anna's quarters, she and Admiral Zay dined together. The remains of the dinner attested to a meal enjoyed. Over dessert, Admiral Zay and Lady Anna sat together quietly. After the high drama today, both wanted to relax. As cousins who had known each other all their lives, they could be informal in private. Each one was very tired. It had been a very long day. Together they discuss the day's disturbing events.

"Come here Anna. Sit with me." Zay opened his arms. Anna slipped over and accepted the hug. Warm human contact was so infrequent in their positions. Zay was older than Anna. He loved to play big brother to her, when he could. She didn't object. Their friendship had lasted over all the events of their lives. Now she depended on him even more.

"Thank you for what you said today, Zay," Anna took his hand. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I know," Zay teased. "You would be married to some prince or another, bored out of your mind. You only became a starship captain to compete with me."

"Probably," Anna did not want to play fight that old chestnut. "That and I couldn't resist long hours of tedium mixed with days of frustration, waiting for something to happen."

"You certainly got your wish today," Zay leaned back. "Now, they understand how deeply we hate the Jaffa. Derek made it plain to them."

"Be careful with those sentiments. O'Neill is already sensitive. He is deeply attached to Master Teal'c. So, don't make my task harder." She looked up at her cousin to make sure he got the message. "Anyway, if the Jaffa want to die in battle against these aggressors, let them. It's just that many warriors we don't have to send."

"Maybe. Do you think O'Neill can really make a difference?" Zay doubted the whole situation. Anna had a sixth sense about these things. Over time, Zay had learned to trust her instincts. "I find it difficult to believe this bunch of misfits really did all those things their files say they did."

"I'm told O'Neill is special. Did you know the genetics researchers are interested in him? They say he is different from most people. The Research Institute Director told me he thinks Jack is very advanced." Anna got up to stretch.

"Jack? Are you on first name basis already?" Zay raised an eyebrow. This was news. He had never known her to permit such intimacy from a stranger.

"We have a rapport. Or we did." Anna sighed. "He is a strange man. His behavior is unpredictable. One moment he is like a child. The next he is a trained killer. He was ready to kill every single one of us this afternoon when Derek went berserk." She checked to see that Zay was paying close attention. "And don't think he hasn't observed us carefully. He is very patient and likes to hide behind a façade of ignorance. Don't you dare underestimate him. You hear me, Zay?" Anna settled back on the sofa and closed her eyes. "Anyway, we don't lose too much asking him. If he turns out to be a fraud, that's his hard luck."


	7. Barbarians

Chapter 7: Barbarians

Teal'c was worried. Since he could no longer kelnorim, he had to sleep just like everyone else. But tonight he could not. Though his quarters on board the alien ship were luxurious, he felt profound discomfort. As a result of this expedition to the advanced humans of the Commonwealth, Teal'c faced a few extremely upsetting facts. For the first time since his association with the Tau'ri, he realized how much humans across the galaxy hated the Jaffa. Millennia of human oppression at the hands of the Jaffa left an undeniable antipathy, and maybe, a desire for revenge. The old excuse of just following orders did not seem to be an adequate Jaffa response. After all, he broke with the false gods. Why hadn't anyone else? That question and many others robbed Teal'c of sleep.

A knock at the door interrupted his reverie. He rose reluctantly and answered. Sam Carter wanted to talk. Over the years, their friendship had evolved. Never before in history had a Jaffa condescended to befriend a human female. But this one was his worthy comrade in arms. She was as capable as any Jaffa warrior. She was certainly more capable than most female Jaffa. How many other truths about humans did the Jaffa miss all this time? So many on the High Council of the Free Jaffa Nation still held to the old ways. They could not see what he had learned. Council members openly showed contempt for their human allies. They knew what had been accomplished with the help of the Tau'ri of Earth. This weakness would be the Jaffa's undoing if humans like the Commonwealth existed with such hatred for them.

"Hey Teal'c. I just can't sleep. Do you mind if I..." Sam stopped as Teal'c gestured for her to enter. "Thanks. I just need to talk."

"I cannot sleep either Colonel Carter. Today's events are troubling." Teal'c sat down on a chair. Sam took a position opposite. "Do you require refreshments?"

"No, thanks. I just want to sit for a few minutes. Ok?" Sam steepled her hands in front of her chest. They sat comfortably in silence a for few minutes. Sam formulated her thoughts and began. " Teal'c, does it bother you that we, I mean humans, the Tok'ra, the NID, and yes, these people have been working so hard to find a way to destroy your people? It's creeping me out."

"Indeed. This thought is keeping me awake tonight as well." Teal'c frowned. "Their hatred of us is understandable. And it is disturbing. So many humans have died at the other end of our staff weapons for too long. But what troubles me more is the fact that the majority of our people still see humans as an inferior species. Too many hold to the old ways."

"Yeah, I mean we are supposed to be allies. But they treat us as enemies. Why? I mean after all we have done to help free them, why?" Sam looked at him and only saw her friend. But, she knew others did not see the same man. Commander Derek and Colonel Mitchell made that fact plain today. Derek had tried to kill Teal'c in the briefing room. Lady Anna admitted to having the means to wipe out the Jaffa. And Earth's own NID had actually used, indiscriminately, the Tok'ra symbiote poison to wipe out entire Jaffa worlds trying to kill Goa'uld.

"Colonel Carter, the Jaffa believe that we were primarily responsible for freeing ourselves. We rose up in rebellion. We commanded the ships that took Dakara. We fought the System Lords and killed most of them. At least most that were left after the Replicators were defeated. Most ordinary Jaffa do not know and did not see all the efforts of the Tau'ri. It is easy for them to think you only played a minor part. And the ones, who do know, also know what the NID did to so many Jaffa on Baal's planets. There is much anger over these events."

"Teal'c, tonight what disturbs me is the possibility that there are other advanced humans who want to see the Jaffa dead. And those others may not have the morality these people profess to have. Those others may try to do it." She shook her head at the idea.

"That thought had occurred to me as well. And more over, this morality may not be enough to stop these people." Teal'c hesitated. "Colonel Carter, I am afraid to tell the High Council what I have learned. If they know all this, our alliance may fall apart. There is enough suspicion and distrust of the Tau'ri as it is. We shall need their help if all of this information is true." Teal'c was silent for a time. "And with Tretonin, many are afraid to become dependent again on another race. Most Jaffa are afraid of it. And more think it is a ploy to enslave us. If it is learned that tens of billions of humans seek the annihilation of all Jaffa, the consequences will be drastic. The High Council will order a preemptive strike on Earth and humans such as these."

Back in the Capital of the Commonwealth, the news media was having a field day. Lord General Jack O'Neill had taken command of the flagship of the fleet. From the 'O'Neill,' images of Jack sitting in the command chair, signing orders were played and re-played ad nauseum. People were dancing in the streets. Scenes of a very serious Jack and Anna putting their heads together consulting with each other made every street corner news screen. Prayers of thanksgiving were being offered in every chapel. Images of them sitting around a conference table with high-ranking military leaders showed the dawn of a new age. The Talking Heads took charge. Every minute gesture, smile, laugh, and frown was analyzed for its importance. The composition of personnel at the briefing was discussed for its serious importance. Channel 1958 boasted their field reporter had scooped the rest of the media by fifteen minutes.

In the Palace, the King watched the broadcasts and chuckled to himself. That Anna certainly knew how to manipulate the mob. Anna was his favorite. Those opposition wimps could not possibly vote against her programs in the Great Council, now. And he was glad he backed her up from the start. Their plans were coming together

On the ship, Daniel could not sleep either. In his head, Daniel kept replaying the moment when Mitchell accused Lady Anna of plotting genocide against the Jaffa. Every time he thought of it, he got sick. He decided to go for a walk to clear his head. His path led him to a lounge on the science deck. Daniel was relieved to see a familiar face. Dr. Gilead waved him over to where they could sit and chat. One look and Daniel understood that today's incident had made the rounds all over the ship.

"I see everyone heard about today's mistake." Gilead nodded. Daniel apologized. "Lady Anna is certainly deserving of more respect than what happened today."

"Yes. But I don't think you understand how much she means to us." Gilead paused and took his time. "When no one would go out to fight, our Lady went as an example. Over and over, she has been wounded horribly in combat. Several times, she died. We had to revive her in a sarcophagus captured from a Goa'uld." He paused to see that Daniel understood. "And, just as importantly, Lady Anna is precious as the last descendent of the direct unbroken line of King David who slew Goliath."

"Really, I had no idea. Truly, she is a remarkable woman." Daniel was worried. This information made today's incident worse than anyone knew. But, he understood that Genetic Restoration made long lives the norm for these people. They stayed so young for so many decades, that large families must result. "The last? If you all live so long, aren't your families enormous?"

"The Royal Family had many members vacationing on Asher when the Attack happened. Nearly the entire direct line was wiped out, including our Lady's own husband and children. We honor her for who she is and all her great deeds." Good thought Gilead. I can tell the Admiral that the message has been delivered to these barbarians.

"I mean no disrespect to the Lady and all she has accomplished. She is a brave and dedicated leader. Her sacrifices must be honored by all of us." Daniel paused before he took the plunge. "Our General has also made the same sacrifices. You should know that General O'Neill has been revived in the sarcophagus so many times that we have all lost count. He was captured by Baal and tortured to death over and over for a long time. He died in battle with Apophis and rose again with the help of the Nox. He has suffered terrible wounds in battle against the Goa'uld. Your Lady and our General are made of the same iron will."

"I meant no disrespect, Dr. Jackson. We all value His Honor. Without our great leaders, where would we be?" Dr. Gilead was a bit too smug. "But even his honor, the General does not possess such a lineage."

"Ah, yes, yes he does, actually." Daniel saw the disbelief and anger in Dr. Gilead's eyes. "In terms of lineage, General O'Neill's line goes back to the time of King Solomon. His line is the most carefully chronicled of any family on Earth." Dr. Gilead did not believe him. "Check our records. You have them now. It is all there."

Daniel launched into his recital. "The O'Neill family is said to originate from the King of Scythia and Scota, a daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt, who was a sister of King Solomon's Queen. Their son was Nial, a name meaning Champion. The twenty-first descendent of Nail was named Milesius, the King of a place now called Spain. The descendents of Nial ruled Spain for almost one thousand years. Milesius led the Nial descendents to a place called Ireland about 600 years before you were abducted from Earth. By the time your people were abducted from Earth, the O'Neills had ruled Spain for 1000 years and had 70 O'Neill Irish kings. The name O'Neill means son of the Champion. The O'Neills were the High Kings of Ireland for over two thousand years."

"You are serious?" Daniel nodded. Dr. Gilead's face paled. He realized Daniel did know. This information could be checked. Gilead pushed himself up from the table so fast his cup went flying. "Excuse me, Dr. Jackson. I must inform the Admiral, immediately." With that, Gilead ran out the door. Daniel put his head in his hands. He did not know if he made it worse or better. He had better go tell Jack.

In his office, O'Neill re-read his report to the President and the requisition list to be sure that he had not overlooked anything. Somehow he had to turn the situation to his own advantage. Today's faux pas at the conference table derailed his negotiating position. Mitchell really put his foot in his mouth. The Lady had morally trumped him. Again, she had committed to nothing for his people, while gaining the high ground. Jack was frustrated.

Daniel came into his office. Jack knew that look too well. Daniel had discovered something and it wasn't good. This day just got better and better. O'Neill sighed a deep sigh. "Ok, Daniel, what now?"

"Jack, I don't know how to tell you this." Daniel stood there and brooded for a moment. Jack waited patiently. It seemed to Jack all he did this last week was wait patiently. "Jack, I said something to my archaeologist friend, Dr. Gilead tonight that may cause some complications."

"And, so, therefore, get on with it, Daniel, I'm tired." Jack was in no mood tonight for this crap. He got up to stretch.

"Dr. Gilead let me know how upset everyone here is about what Mitchell said to Lady Anna. It made the rounds. He told me how very brave she is. Remarkable actually. Did you know she has been wounded leading the troops and has died fighting many times?" Daniel paused avoiding what he had come to say. "They have a captured sarcophagus. They really love her. The insult is worse than we thought."

"That's very interesting, Daniel. But why are you telling me this? Just get to the point." Jack glared at him.

"Yes, well, as he said some things about how brave, important and royal she is, I may have mentioned that you are too. And," Daniel slapped his hands over his eyes and leaned back. "I said you were royal too."

"What?" Jack did not follow that at all. "I'm what?"

"Royal." Daniel started to speak rapidly. "I told Dr. Gilead that the O'Neill family descended from kings since the time of King Solomon."

"Why would you do something like that?" Jack's demeanor got nasty. "Are you insane? Because, right now, I'll be glad to put you out of your misery."

"Because it is true." Daniel looked down and kept talking. He could not look at Jack's face. "The ancient kings of Ireland and part of Scotland were the O'Neill. Jack, your written family history goes back to about 600 BC. The oral and written record is clear. The oral histories state that your ancestors go back to the Pharaohs." Daniel looked up through his glasses to check for a reaction. "Actually, there is an apocryphal story that one of your ancestors was the sister of King Solomon's queen."

"Daniel, are you trying to give me a stroke?" Jack leaned back in disgust. Then he whipped around and advanced on Daniel. "My pal, my buddy, my old friend didn't think today was bad enough. No, and this is the good part, wait for it, he decided to make me _ROYALTY_. And this friend, whom I rarely see any more, who doesn't write, doesn't call, doesn't check in, was not content that we went out of our way to insult a very powerful, and really _ROYAL_ lady. Oh, and did I mention the story gets better? You see this really royal person has us over a barrel because she has taken us prisoner and we have no idea where we are. No don't interrupt, that's not the worst of it. This friend, this colleague, he did it to, what, prove what? I'll tell you**_..."NOTHING!"_** Jack grimaced and spat out the word through his clenched teeth.

"J-jack, Jack, please, it isn't nothing. At least not with these people. They respect people with a definite lineage, a royal lineage." Daniel got frustrated trying to explain these things to Jack.

"I think they already have respected me enough this week. Don't you?" Jack replied in his most surly, sarcastic voice. "I am respected so much, I may have to live out the rest of my _LIFE_ here being respected."

"If you'll just listen, I can explain it so that you can use it." Daniel pulled up a chair. "In a way, I did you a favor."

"Get out." Jack commanded.

"Wait. I can..." Daniel didn't finish.

"Get out, before I, so help me Daniel, sometimes I wish I had left you on Abydos." Jack was snarling. He raised his hands towards Daniel in a mock strangulation gesture.

"You did leave me on Abydos." Daniel corrected.

"Just go." Jack turned away.

The com chimes rang in Lady Anna's quarters. Admiral Zay sighed and said, "What? We asked not to be disturbed."

Lt. Andrew answered. "My Lord, we have just monitored a conversation between Colonel Carter and Master Teal'c. It is urgent that you hear it too."

"Very well, display it." Zay looked over at Anna who was half asleep. The hour was late and the day had been long and eventful. The two cousins had shared a quiet evening together. The evening had been a pleasant respite from the pressures of command. Duty brought them back to reality.

A hologram of the two members of SG-1 sitting in quiet conversation replayed in front of the two most important leaders of the Commonwealth's military. When it was done, both Zay and Anna knew their problems just grew exponentially. "Just when you think it can't get any worse, there you have it." Zay turned sad and angry eyes at Anna. "They don't leave here for any reason before this all goes down. No exceptions."

"No argument Zay. I had not planned on overtly denying them access to Earth, but now it is cast in concrete. They stay." Anna spoke to the com system. She accessed the computer's security protocols. Just in case any measure had been overlooked before, Anna locked her Earth Force Advisor and his staff out of accessing any launch bay, every ship's ignition sequence, activation protocols for transporters, and the more sensitive areas of the ship and the computer system as well. She issued orders to security forbidding O'Neill and SG-1 access to the Stargate without Zay's or her own express permission. Too much was at stake and too many lives hung in the balance to risk an escape. Based upon her time with O'Neill, Lady Anna was not sure even all this would be enough if he decided to leave.

More trouble was on the way. Dr. Gilead made a beeline for Admiral Zay's office. At this late hour, of course he was not there. But one of his assistants would know what to do. The information was sensitive and Dr. Gilead did not want to tell anyone but the Admiral. And, he wanted to do it in person. This matter was too delicate to leave a message. It took some persuading, but the assistant finally consented to disturb the Admiral. Since he was just leaving Anna's quarters anyway, he might as well hear this and deal with whatever it was to clear his schedule for tomorrow. Dr. Gilead was a reliable fellow after all.

A moment later, Anna was paged. That nuisance of a barbarian couldn't even wait until morning before hounding her again. Zay was leaving on some errand. It was late. She was not about to get up and traipse all the way down to her office to endure more bad behavior. Instead, she decided to have some fun and jerk his chain but good. So, Lady Anna sent for Jack.

Jack sat cooling his heels in his office. He was waiting to hear if Lady Anna would even take his call tonight. After today's diplomatic disaster, it was not obvious she would ever deal directly with him again. And after Daniel's latest stunt, he would be lucky if she did not throw him in prison. He had to get to her before this archaeologist guy did. And he needed her permission to get that requisition off to Earth quickly. This had been a bad day.

While Jack waited, he reviewed the situation over and over. O'Neill had to admit the Lady was a successful politician. She had turned a society of pacifists into an armed camp. She used every trick she could imagine to pull, push, and snow a recalcitrant population. Anna crafted a tremendous public relations effort to create an inspiring, legendary, and heroic figure, using stories about Jack O'Neill. That effort was in full swing even before they met. Sure she lured him home as fast as she could. Given her time frame, now was her last opportunity to capitalize on that propaganda. His public appearances in the Capital this week played into her strategy. Jack shook his head thinking about the outlandish adulation.

No one on Earth, not even Jack,realized Lady Anna's strategy. From the get go, the Lady told them straight up what she wanted and why. She wanted to protect her people. To accomplish this goal, the Lady wanted Jack, a few things unique to Earth, and a military alliance cemented through many marriages. In exchange, she dangled the secrets to long life spans and advanced technologies. The terms just sounded so sinister and ridiculous no one believed her. The strange demands felt excessive. Lady Anna's offer appeared to be too good to be true. Perhaps it was the shock of the circumstances. Maybe it was the choice of words. Or possibly, it was howpeople filtered the information through existing biases. A mastermind of the human psyche, Lady Anna's strategy was to hide behind the truth.

Even now, General O'Neill did not understand that Lady Anna was a master manipulator. She had designed her plan to appear as an elaborate deception. Responding to implied threats that were never spoken, Earth governments rushed to assume that a gun was being held to their collective heads. The governments inferred that the arrival of the immense fleet of gargantuan ships was an overt act of aggression. But the Lady never directly said or did anything to offer any harm. Anna's people had extreme moral impediments to taking life. The folks at home didn't know it, but this week, Jack discovered her fleet was nothing more than a paper tiger.

The Lady understood people. She realized O'Neill felt compelled to protect his people. She out maneuvered him just by letting his own instincts take their course. She played to his ego, his curiosity, and his own fears. The more kindness she expressed, the worse she looked to him and tohis people. Jack intended to use this expedition to find any weakness he could exploit and take her down. Once she had physical possession of him, she manipulated the President into assigning him to her staff. Instead of killing her, Jack was assigned to help her.

O'Neill's original assumptions were correct. Her actions were a cover for something more. She was making a last ditch effort to avoid monstrous carnage at almost any cost to her own dignity and her people's resources. If she could not find a better solution, hundreds of millions of her people would die in the fighting. There really was a gaggle of bad guys, who were an imminent threat. These bad guys went after whole planets. That kind of destruction would make a society of 38 billion people on 26 planets implode. What Anna was hiding was the enormity of the truth.

What Jack understood tonight was simple. He and his team possessed too much classified information to be returned to Earth. He would do the same thing if the positions were reversed. It didn't mean he liked it. Lady Anna was desperate and her back was to the wall. That reality made her especially dangerous. Negotiating was useless now. Insulting her today put him far in the wrong and left him out of options. Pushing would just get them into more trouble. He knew she was trying to manipulate him. So far, she had managed to stay ahead of him at every turn. And it didn't help to have his own team torpedo him right and left. If he could not deliver the assistance she required, all their lives were forfeit. He had to prove he was useful. So he had better get on with it. Jack hoped she would be generous later, if they were all still alive.

A liveried servant announced the arrival of the Lord General O'Neill to Lady Anna. She noticed he was still in his sloppy attire. No points for impressing a lady here. She wondered if the barbarian understood that his part in this drama was nearly over. Unless he could provide true talent from Earth's Pentagon, or from wherever, she would send him into exile. Until it all played out, she might as well have some fun.

Jack rose and saluted Lady Anna as she swirled into the room. Not for the first time was he dumbstruck by her physical beauty. He became acutely aware of her attributes softly draped by her gown. Her brown hair flowed halfway down her back. Jack was only human. She was gorgeous. For a moment, he forgot why he was there.

Lady Anna looked him over carefully. She met his gaze and turned away, slowly, saying nothing. She moved to the center of the room and waited patiently. Anna raised her eyes to meet his. "You have a pressing reason to come tonight, My Lord?"

Jack became self-conscious. The last thing he could afford was to let her catch him looking at her the wrong way. The light in the room accentuated her features under the long robe. He moved slightly to the side to avoid the angle the view permitted. "Yes, ma'am."

"What is so important it could not wait until morning?" Anna adjusted her hair, running her fingers through it absently. She leaned against a table. The lights hit her again. Jack shifted a little to the side.

"Ma'am, I would like to alert you that there is a minor matter, which will cross your desk in the morning." Jack was losing his concentration. "I do not want to keep offending you, ma'am. I would like to find a way to communicate better with you." Anna sighed. Jack plowed on. "What I want to discuss tonight is my requisition of people and items from Earth. Ma'am, I am attempting to cooperate to the best of my abilities. I realize we are on the clock. Please ma'am, send my request with the highest priority to the Pentagon."

"What matter?" Anna fussed with one of the ribbons tying the front of her robe. She shifted her weight. The light caught her again in profile. Anna looked over at him again, waiting.

Jack coughed, and cleared his throat. "Yes ma'am, um, Daniel, Dr. Jackson that is, said something inappropriate. I don't want you to think I am disrespecting you again, ma'am. Daniel is a history buff and knows all sorts of trivia. And he sort of said that of course you were royal and all, but he said I was too. It's ridiculous of course, My Lady." Her perfume wafted over to him, compelling him to look at her.

"My Lord General, I am so honored that you have brought this matter to my attention. This is wonderful. Please, My Lord, help me to understand the nature of your heritage. I would not wish to offend any royal person with a lapse of protocol." Anna beamed a smile at him. Just for him. Her silhouette was obvious. He repositioned himself so she would not catch him looking.

"Right, um, Daniel said, I was descended from the Kings of Ireland. But that's ridiculous." O'Neill averted his eyes. He didn't want to look shifty. But, he was afraid she noticed. He could not afford another explosion. "I am not a royal anything, ma'am."

"But, My Lord General, royal heritage is to be studied." She already knew all about the O'Neill line. She had Jack thoroughly researched from the Earth files uploaded this last week. The report was on her desk even now. "A descendent of Kings? I would know your lineage." She pretended to be slightly offended. "You aren't ashamed of having a royal heritage are you?"

Jack couldn't help staring. The urge was too strong. He caught himself and looked away. He hoped she didn't notice. So he focused on the vase next to her. "I don't know anything about it, ma'am."

"My Lord General, it is imperative that I know the nature of your royalty. I would order research of your line immediately. Such matters cannot be taken lightly." Anna thought for a moment, then, said, "we have uploaded much information from Earth to our computer banks. I should have a report by tomorrow midday." Lady Anna moved to exit and conclude the interview. The lights played on her hair.

"My Lady, about my request?" Jack moved to avoid looking at her form again.

"Yes, just forward a plaintext copy to Admiral Zay and have your assistant send the original. Good night, My Lord General." Anna received his salute and left the room. Jack marched out the door as fast as he could. He was praying she didn't notice anything.

Anna wandered off to her chambers, laughing quietly. She made him dance to her tune tonight. The Lady had already read his requisition. Anna sighed; at last she could have her bath.

Late August in Washington, DC is an ever-changing panorama. Tourists scurry through The Mall, an open space filled with memorials and shrines. It stretches 2.5 miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. The lawns and walkways are filled. Families and tour groups line the Reflecting Pool and sit around the ponds. In front of the Jefferson and the FDR Memorials, tourists in peddle boats glide around the Tidal Basin viewing the 3000 Japanese cherry trees. The museums that line The Mall on both sides work overtime to accommodate the flood of people. The new World War II Memorial in the middle greets scores of octogenarian veterans coming for ceremonies. So many old people come; there is a medical facility right next to that memorial for those who go into cardiac arrest. Boaters on the Potomac River parade in every imaginable craft up to Washington Harbor in Georgetown to tie up for the shops and cafes. Sightseeing tour boats travel sedately twenty miles down river to Mt. Vernon and back past the beautiful waterfront of Old Town Alexandria. In the White House, President Hayes and the Joint Chiefs were considering Jack O'Neill's shopping list.

President Hayes set down the ground rules. "This is the most important opportunity to ever happen to Earth. We have the possibility of fulfilling the entire mandate of the Stargate Program. But, the window of opportunity is very short. I am backing this operation on my own authority as Commander-in-Chief. This is my call. I believe Hammond's assessment of the situation. The aliens want to fight their quote unquote Final Battle within a few months. O'Neill needs his help tomorrow. Bear in mind that the guys we are sending there may never return. We are sending out the best people we can spare. I am lifting the restriction on their travel. What our people know about our security, the Commonwealth already knows too. Those guys bugged every single office in the District, including the Oval Office. We have no secrets from the Commonwealth anymore. The people we choose must be able to handle Lady Anna and deal with O'Neill. The funding is not an issue. I want the team assembled at the Stargate by the end of the day."

Francis Maynard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, addressed the group. "If this is what O'Neill is requesting, I can tell you, those aliens don't have a clue. They think that there is a short cut. They want to solve it with one big battle and some mopping up operations. They need people in logistics and strategic targeting. They don't have the tools to win the war. Their strategic thinking is from before the First World War. These aliens are emphasizing capital ships over support infrastructure. They will run out of everything, leaving them sitting ducks. Their problem is our problem."

"Agreed," said the Chief of the Navy. "So who can we send? O'Neill's list of special ops guys will not cut the mustard. From what I can understand, the space ship strategy is not that dissimilar to a blue water fleet. I'll recall some guys I like from retirement."

"We outsourced target analysis and assessment fifteen years ago." The Chief of the Air Force considered for a moment and added. "Those contractors are willing to leave on a moment's notice for the right price anyway. Will five million dollars a head for sign up bonus and insurance to the next of kin be available?"

"Done," said the President.

The Army Chief stated, "Logistics has been run by private contractors since Desert Storm. Same arrangements as the Air Force, sir?" The President nodded.

"Some of O'Neill's spec ops guys are former Green Berets. We'll have them there." The Chief of the Marines offered.

"Make sure these guys have everything they need and then some. They may not be able to get it later." The President looked around the room.

"I'll see to Jack's list of Special Requests." Hammond shook his head. O'Neill could really be a hot dog sometimes.

Two days later, Lady Anna stood with her officers watching the arrival of Lord O'Neill's warriors at her base. These people were not an impressive sight. From what she observed, these were very old men. Some of them looked older than Jack. She looked over to judge her Advisor's reaction. He seemed stumped.

"These are the people you requested, My Lord?" Lady Anna was extremely doubtful about what just arrived.

"My Lady, I know the man who sent them. And I trust my life to him. He knows what he is doing. Please, be patient and you will see." Jack kept his face impassive. Where were all the spec ops guys he asked for? These were contractors. Then, Jack recognized one of his friends.

Containers and personal effects followed the personnel. Apparently, they were prepared for a long stay. Some were looking around, craning their necks. Otherwise, they just ambled along in groups of twos and threes. Some were wearing jeans and sweaters. Others were wearing the usual contractor garb of short-sleeved shirt and necktie over chinos. A few even sported pocket protectors on their shirts. The one approaching had on a sport jacket over slacks. Jack wanted to hear about this before the Lady did. He had to know how to present all this to her.

But the first of the group made it to where Jack was waiting. "General O'Neill, I presume?" Jack nodded and offered his hand. The small grey haired man had the look of a retired senior officer. The two shook hands. "I am retired Lt. General Franklin, Army. Where can we set up for the briefing?"

"General Franklin, may I present the leader of the Commonwealth forces, Lady Anna, Judge of All the People and Third Lord of the Admiralty." Jack indicated the woman standing next to him.

"Nice to finally meet you, ma'am." General Franklin gave a short bow. He had been briefed on the plane to the SGC. "Don't you worry, ma'am. We'll get you fixed up in no time." He turned to O'Neill. "Where do we put on this shindig? My boys are ready to hit the ground running. Just show us where to plug in."

Running? These old men could hardly walk down the ramp. And apparently, this one had no manners either. It was going to be a long war. Lady Anna looked up at O'Neill. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. O'Neill bowed to her and escorted General Franklin off to the conference area. The rest of the team had mostly found their way by then. Commonwealth Security was guiding the ragtag group through Decon and out to the offices close by.

After an hour, the group assembled in a conference room around a large table. Most opened their laptops. A few pulled out battery cords, looking for someplace to juice up. Someone passed out pads of paper and pencils. One of the guys turned to Carter and said, "Hey honey would make some coffee. This will be a long session."

Sam just rolled her eyes. "Sorry sir, there is no coffee." She just walked away. But the man wouldn't let it go.

"What kind of joint is O'Neill running? I haven't had my fucking coffee for two days. I want to know what somebody is going to do about it." He had the wild look of a man in caffeine withdrawal. "Tell O'Neill if I don't get my coffee I'm going home."

Sam got up close and personal with the man. "No one is going to do anything about your coffee. I haven't had my coffee for over two weeks. And you see that woman over there? If you open your mouth like that to her, you will get thrown out an airlock. They are particular about manners around here."

"You're shitting me, right?" She shook her head slowly and grinned an evil grin. He looked up and asked, "You're Colonel Carter?" Sam nodded. "I heard lots about you from George...Hammond. We were classmates at the academy during Nam. Nice to meet you, ma'am. Call me Deets." Sam smiled and nodded. She knew there was nothing personal in the whole exchange.

Another guy walked up to Jack and asked where he could go for a smoke. Jack looked at his assistant and asked her where someone could light a small personal fire. She looked at him like he was insane. The contractor pulled out his pack of cigarettes and offered Jack one.

"No, thanks. I quit." He pointed to the item and said to Lt. Rachel, "that's what he wants to burn for a few minutes." She stared at him dumbfounded. This was the strangest request yet with this man. "Never mind. Daniel, take this man to the biggest closet you can find."

"Thanks, Jack." The man turned to follow Daniel. Lt. Rachel was still staring.

Jack called out, "Don't lose him!"

Two technicians set about organizing the power and com links. Carter was ready with engineers from the ship. They recognized each other for what they were and settled into the task. In half an hour, the technical people had a set of power strips for the laptops to use. With the baggage came enough electronics gear to accommodate their needs. O'Neill raised his eyes in thanks to Hammond for thinking about such things.

Carter walked up to O'Neill and told him everyone was ready to begin. Some of the guys were already seated and had booted up their machines. A few were chewing gum. Others were standing in a group rehashing the latest pre-season football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter went over to Lt. Rachel and asked for some refreshments to be provided.

Lady Anna was appalled. What could these primitives be thinking to come on her ship and just take over like this? Not one of them had offered her any respect. And, worse, O'Neill wasn't dealing with it. He seemed to be enjoying himself in the corner with a man he obviously knew well. She kept hearing the word 'coffee' and then a lot of complaining. Then, General Franklin told everyone to take a seat and begin. He sat at the head of the table. Even O'Neill obeyed. Lady Anna stood there looking from one to the other to the other. This was crazy. Jack looked up to see a bomb about to go off. Oh crap, she was still here. So he got up and walked over to her.

"Ma'am, you should not be here for this." He spoke softly to her. "These people are not ready to be introduced to you. They are good people. Unless you want to give the send off and the rules of engagement, you should not stay. Let Admiral Zay do that. I suggest that you go somewhere so you can observe but not be part of this briefing. You need these people to do their jobs. They can't do that with you here. Let them get briefed and think about the problem. Then they will formulate their questions and send your staff their recommendations." His eyes were pleading with her to comply. "If you stay, you will only get offended." Anna looked around the room again and back to Jack. She nodded and left. Jack went to the other end of the table and offered Admiral Zay the chair. Jack stood up to make the introductions.

Admiral Zay looked around at the motley crew at the table. He looked over at O'Neill and figured he didn't lose much. So he began to describe the bad guys, what they had in terms of the ships, the shipyards, and their bases. His plan was to eliminate the ships and the yards, then go after the bases and the supply routes in a mopping up campaign. The objective was to send the bad guys back where they came from never wanting to try it again.

General Franklin asked Zay what he wanted from them. Zay replied that he wanted them to go through the plans and try to minimize the casualties. General Franklin thought about it and said, "You just outlined the plans of a single battle. I am not sure even that will go according to your plans. What about your concept of the whole campaign? Judging by what you said, this war will take several years to run its course."

"We don't think any of their ships will survive our initial attack." Zay felt confident. He saw the Earth Advisors react in disbelief.

"Well can we have more details and a look at your stuff? We need to understand what we are working with." One of the men in short sleeves jumped in, "We need your staff to support our efforts, said another. Someone else jumped in and asked, "will you tell them to give us access to what we need?" Zay considered and nodded. "We need the detail. We'll take it from there," said General Franklin. Zay spoke an order softly to the computer giving the order to cooperate. His senior subordinates entered and sat down to give a review of the details. Zay got up and left. The meeting continued for the rest of the day. The next two days consisted of number crunching and simulation analysis.

Elsewhere in the ship,a decompression party was underway. In O'Neill's office, the team sat around the table. Grunts of satisfaction could be heard occasionally. No one talked. Everyone ate. Hammond was true to his word that whatever Jack wanted sent from Earth would appear. Here it was. Foods to satisfy every craving. Hammond also shipped the equipment to make it. Carter worked with the ship's technicians to set up a mini-kitchen in Jack's enormous office. There were two coffee pots and a set of mugs.

With his mouth full of ice cream, Daniel garbled out, "I never thought I would miss chocolate ice cream this much." He shoved another spoonful in and grunted indicating 'good.' A coffee pot brewed its fifth batch that evening. Teal'c took the second pot all for himself. Mitchell complained, but Teal'c gave him his scary face used when he took point. Mitchell backed off. Even Jack did not interfere with a Jaffa on caffeine high. And Carter, well, she was sucking down a box of chocolates.

"What? Like you've never seen a girl eat? I deserve these." And she dived in again looking for the ones with nuts.

Mitchell was standing over the microwave waiting for the popcorn to finish. The timer chimed and he grabbed the hot bag. Steam shot out and he cried out from the burn. "Suck it up, Colonel and bring it over here." Jack popped in a recording of that Ravens vs. Eagles game. Both of them were licking their fingers from the extra butter flavor. Jack found a tissue and offered one to Mitchell, who just kept on licking his fingers. Jack opened a beer and offered one to Mitchell. Cam up ended it and took it in one big long swallow. "Thirsty were you?" Jack eyed him and decided to do the same. "Ah, beer, a refreshing substitute for food." He got two more from the fridge. He had been chilling them all afternoon. Then Jack set about pawing through the tapes looking for his request for the latest 'Simpsons' episode. He grunted when he found it and turned his attention back to the game.

On the third day, General Franklin called a general meeting of the staff and invited General O'Neill. Franklin addressed O'Neill saying,"These aliens don't know their ass from their elbow. They think that they'll manage to draw their opponents into a decisive battle. No such thing will take place. The bad guys will withdraw at the first sign of trouble. They can sacrifice easily replaceable assets such as the shipyards. Zay is counting too heavily on the element of surprise. It's Pearl Harbor all over again. And Zay is Yamamoto. We all know how well that worked out."

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You are not telling me anything I didn't already know. That's why I sent for some help. I have to explain war to people who have never waged war. You have to be more specific and offer me solutions."

"You need to introduce to them the concept of a strategic campaign. As much as they hate it, they have to be ready for the battle of attrition. They need to know it will come and will be costly. The Goa'uld Wannabes were always into hit and run. They have avoided open battle letting the Goa'uld do their dirty work. What makes anyone think they have changed their style of fighting now? They'll run at the first sign of trouble to come back and fight another day. Killing the shipyards will only make them disperse their production facilities. The next batch of ships will be that much harder to eliminate."

Jack indicated he understood. "I realize what you are saying but that doesn't give me the tools to explain it to them. You have to be more specific about your terms and your approach."

"You need to find out the key industries that are crucial to their production efforts. You have to eliminate these industries. You must go after the shipping and supply routes and do good old commerce raiding. Don't risk the capital ships. Speed, stealth, and hit and run tactics will starve them and reach where it hurts much faster. Attempts to draw them into an open fight will be futile. It is not obvious even the first attempt at an open fight would succeed." General Franklin looked grim. "So how do we convey to the Lady's forces that their tactics may be fine, but their strategy is all wrong? And how do we prepare them to the fact there is no silver bullet? It will be long, dirty, and costly. There will be serious casualties."

"General, that's exactly what they don't want to hear. They are really afraid that the bad guys will attack one of their planets again." Jack looked at Franklin. "Of all the things you consider, that has to be the highest priority. We have to show them there is a way to protect their core population."

"That we can do something about. The Second World War was fought in the outposts after Pearl Harbor. We can put the fear of God into the bad guys so that they would not feel comfortable fighting too far away from their supply bases. Do we have a plan how to address these folks who don't know what they do not know?" Franklin waited for Jack to formulate a response.

Colonel Mitchell raised his hand. " May I say something here, sir?" Jack considered for a moment. He gave Mitchell a warning look. And then he nodded. "They have great emulator technology. Teal'c and I played war games on their virtual equipment. We managed to beat the crap out of them." Mitchell grinned ferociously. "They seemed to have been impressed. We can try to set those things to our scenarios with us playing the bad guys. You can see their equipment and how it handles before you go out to the real deal." Everyone decided to see that before they went any farther.

Technicians from both sides worked for another two days to set up the simulations. After waiting aloof for days, Lady Anna could not help herself. She wanted to see what the results of the simulated battle would be. She was curious about these people. From the reports, Anna realized they seemed to understand more than she would have expected. If anything, she knew she had to learn anything that could be useful.

The results of the simulations stunned Lady Anna and Admiral Zay. The first operation seemed to have been a great success. However, it was no decisive battle as everyone expected. The initial casualties to her relief were very light. But, from that point on, her forces were unable to find the enemy. And then, the worst-case scenario came to be true. Her planets got destroyed one by one.

The Earth group offered to stop the simulation at this point. They said that they were working on a different strategy and would present it later. They asked for more information. Lady Anna decided to give them everything they asked for. One of the requests was for a tour of the ships and extensive information on their capabilities. She granted their request immediately.

The next day, Generals Franklin and O'Neill paid a visit to Admiral Zay. They told him that he should be the one to give Lady Anna the briefing. They were here to prepare him. because both generals realized they had to make Zay their friend. In reality, the Earth Force Advisors were working for Zay and they knew it. He was the commander. And they needed his cooperation. Zay could not look stupid before his boss. Both generals understood politics enough to recognize this fact. Zay appreciated the gesture.

Before the Sabbath dinner, Zay and Anna had time to discuss the week's events. Generals O'Neill and Franklin were invited. The two cousins sat together in her small music room. One of the Earth symphonies was playing on the sound system. Anna sat next to Zay. They were old friends from childhood as well.

"I would not have believed it. They are actually doing something useful. Of course they have no manners. I can live with that if this is the result." Anna leaned against Zay. "It seems I fulfilled my own prophecy."

"What prophecy, Anna?" Zay put his arm around her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I mean that I told the people that Lord O'Neill would make all the difference. And I think it may be true that he has. He brought us these specialists. We have no people like these ourselves. And I worry about that." Anna sighed and sipped her drink.

"They certainly do have a grasp of the problem better than anyone we have ever met. I suppose it is because they make war on each other all the time." Zay leaned back. "I started to read the memoirs of an Earth leader from their last great war. I believe his name was Churchill. I think you should read it because it applies. He discusses not just the strategy but also the politics of war."

"I am watching their history broadcast recordings about their World War II. I need to get the summary first. With everything else I have to do, it is difficult to find the time." Anna was lost in thought.

"Anna, you should delegate everything else. We need to learn this stuff. And so do our commanders." Zay became animated. "We are sitting with people who have actually fought and won great battles. And we have no idea what to say to them. Neither of us knows what they did or how they did it."

"From remarks I have overheard about O'Neill, he really did destroy the Goa'uld and some horrible mechanical enemy. Our General put together a coalition of several races. But the people here are the same people who provided him the support then that they are trying to give us now." Zay sat back and laughed. "Anna, the man really is the hero you made him out to be. We might have a chance. How did you know?" She looked up at him and smiled. She had a sixth sense about people. She just had to push Jack to the wall.


	8. Business

The strangest week in his life drew to a close. Retired Lieutenant General Robert Franklin of the U.S. Army shook his head. General Franklin walked into General O'Neill's office on board the space ship. He laughed to himself. It was just surreal that a U.S. Air Force General had an office aboard an alien spaceship. When the President asked him to go someplace unusual with the risk of never returning, Franklin did not imagine this place. The briefing on the plane to the SGC made his eyes pop. The military officer made it plain. General Franklin could go as a contractor and get the bonus, or be recalled to active duty, either way he was going. He took the $5 million bonus and the $5 million insurance policy for the sake of his grandkids. Now it remained to be seen if he could ever go back. Security was really tight here. People got in, but didn't necessarily get out. It was obvious to everyone. Jack O'Neill was a priceless commodity. The alien leader was not letting him out of her sight. But General Franklin needed to go back for more help. He needed to brief the President. These aliens did not have a clue what they were asking to do. Would Lady Anna let him go home?

"Jack? Need some help?" Franklin walked in to find O'Neill under his desk. He strode over to the table to help Jack up.

"What? Oh, no, I was just trying to see how this table does it." Jack

"Does what?" Franklin asked.

"You know, all the cool stuff like holograms, data streams, operations." Jack crawled out from underneath. He saw Franklin looking around in surprise. "Some office, huh?" He nodded to the assistant to leave. "They really, um, like me."

"Sure Jack, nice office." Franklin cast an eye about the room. It even had an American flag. Nice touch. He nodded approval. "They seem to treat you well. So what's the program for tonight?"

"We have dinner." Jack gestured for General Franklin to sit. "Just give Anna a formal greeting, then act normally."

"Anna? I'm not sure I would even refer to her like that Jack. She's so touchy about protocol." Franklin frowned. He was wearing a coat and tie as well tonight.

"Oh, there's no protocol on the Sabbath, Bob. Everyone gets a rest. Kinda nice." Jack sat down. He grinned. "I got her a box of chocolates. This should be huge."

"Wow." Franklin smirked. "If she is like any other woman, she'll be putty in your hands after she discovers chocolate." They both chortled. "What about ice cream or coffee?"

"Nope, I was saving those for defensive action." Jack joked. "And, I'm not sure I want to be around if she hasn't had her morning coffee. Know what I mean?"

"Right." Bob laughed softly. "What do you think she wants by inviting us?"

"They have a definite concept of hospitality. So, enjoy it." Jack paused to add, "One thing though, keep it light. We aren't supposed to discuss business tonight. Speaking of which, did everyone complete a physical?"

"Yes, the last one went this afternoon. Are you sure they didn't do something to us? You know, evil alien experiments on humans thing?" Bob smiled but he wasn't joking. "I have no idea what they did, but the arthritis in my wrist is gone, knee too. So that's something."

"Yes, I know. Had the same thing. The knees were shot and the back was protesting, but I asked them to do something. It's fine now. I figured if they wanted to mess with me, they would do it, anyway." Jack gave a meaningful look at Franklin. "Look, other than a couple of unfortunate misunderstandings and the medal pinning ceremony, it's been a rather routine operation."

"Routine? Jack, you've got to be kidding." Franklin paused, remembering the President's speech to Congress. "Yes, ok, I suppose for you this would be routine. So you fly around on space ships before?"

"Yep. Lots. Flown some myself, too. Stole a big one once." Jack watched his reaction. There was visible surprise. "Anna even let me do a Captain Kirk on the way here. I think she got as big a kick out of it as I did. So you ready?" They got up to go. "So far, what do you think Bob?"

General Franklin considered the question. "Jury is still out."

In the equivalent of a BOQ (base officer's quarters) lounge, the Earth advisory team sat down to dinner with SG-1. Deets turned to Carter and offered her a seat. At dinner, Deets pumped Carter for her opinion of the situation. Around the table, the questions flew fast and furious at the team. The first question was what the aliens would do with them. From the looks of things, their usefulness was directly connected to waging a war these people were not ready to fight. And that war would take a long time even under optimum conditions. That question went around and around with no conclusion. Everyone wanted to know why the aliens wanted Jack so much. That question had a good answer. He was the biggest propaganda tool the team could imagine. Other questions centered on how could anyone tell which aliens were really children and which were young adults. No one had any help to add except that real kids weren't working. The biggest question was whether these aliens were really good guys or not. They could be teaching the enemy how to conquer Earth. For that question, no one had a good answer.

On the Flag Officer's deck, Anna greeted her guests and accepted their formal respects. Jack offered her the gift of chocolates. Anna looked at it and was impressed. "My Lord General, your gift is much appreciated." She looked at him and smiled delightedly. People were always giving state gifts to her, but she knew this was different. It was a real gift. She looked at him with a question in her eyes.

"We call these chocolates. It's candy ma'am." Jack saw the pleasure this small gift was already giving her. "Chocolate is one of the nicest things we have on Earth. I sent for these special for you." She looked up at him with appreciation." Shall I open them now or later, My Lord General?" Anna really wanted to see what was in the pretty box. Normally, she would have any food item screened, but she could sense no deception in Jack. He was going into his child at heart mode.

"Oh, why not? Let's start with dessert." Jack smiled back at her. They all sat down in her small sitting room. Anna opened the box carefully, looking at the wrapping and the design. There was so much packaging. First there was a big red velvet ribbon. Then there was gold colored paper. The box had an embossed gold colored lid. She saw lots of writing on the bottom. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make this box. Lifting the lid, there was a paper liner and a clear barrier. Anna was puzzled to find little black and brown things. Some had colors on top. Some were wrapped in foil. They had different shapes. But they smelled good.

Jack leaned over and showed her the pictures and the descriptions from the paper inside the box. "This tells you what is in each one. For example, this one is pure chocolate. And this one has nuts. And this one has caramel inside. This one is called a truffle and has many kinds of chocolate all rolled up in one with a dusting of cocoa powder for good measure. Try that one first." He nodded at her to go ahead. Anna went and got a fork. That was different thought Jack, but ok. "Um, we usually eat these with our fingers, ma'am." Anna delicately touched it with her fingers. Anna looked at Jack once more; then prepared to take a small bite. "No, ma'am. The whole thing at once, it is better that way." So she sniffed it, hesitated, and then tried it as he suggested. Both generals waited for the reaction. The light bulb went on. The explosion of flavor suffused her senses. Both men grinned at each other, congratulating themselves at their success. Her eyes went wide and then closed. There was a small sigh. Jack imagined this must be what she looked like in an orgasm. "How was that, ma'am?"

Anna took a moment to answer. She looked up at him, delighted. "That was the best thing I ever put in my mouth. Thank you." Her eyes misted. Anna had no idea that something this wonderful existed. As she looked at Jack, her expression softened. Her gratitude was in her eyes. He knew he had really pleased her. She turned to General Franklin and thanked him too.

Admiral Zay walked in to find them sitting with a glow about them. Good he thought, tonight would be pleasant. "Zay, come here and try these. We have a wonderful present." Zay looked at them and at the box. The contents looked strange. But Anna was really happy. "Use your fingers, Zay." He took one of the candies and had the same surprised reaction. Well, that was interesting. Maybe these people did have something worth importing. Dinner was announced and everyone proceeded to the table.

After dinner, the other family members were excused. General Franklin was surprised at the normal way they related to one another. He approved. No servants were apparent tonight, either. Interesting. He would ask Jack about that later. With their after dinner drinks, they moved to the music room. Lady Anna sat down and adjusted the volume. Anna decided on Earth music to honor her guests. She selected Pagliacci, an opera. The story reminds the audience that beneath the theatrical facade, artists harbor genuine emotions and real passions. Anna knew that Jack liked opera. She wondered briefly if he knew this one.

Anna took another one of the chocolates. "General O'Neill, these are really good." She listened to the music for a few moments and added, "I have to confess that these weeks have been eventful. I am so very impressed with the progress you all have made. Both of you seem to have the situation in hand."

"Well, thank you, ma'am. We appreciate your confidence in us." Jack decided this evening was going very well.

"I am thinking about going to the Capital next week. It'll be a nice break from all the military activities here." Anna sat back into the cushions and relaxed. The music began the cry of Pagliaccio, the clown whose heart is breaking but must make the audience laugh.

"Oh, well, that makes sense. We can have some things ready for you when you get back." O'Neill answered.

"Actually, I was thinking you could come with me. You have been working as hard as I have. And you haven't seen much of the city. Let's go and take a few days off." Anna reached into the chocolates again.

"Oh, I think I should stay and help." Jack reached for his drink. Then he caught Anna's expression and saw the look she gave him. Aw crap. It had been such a nice evening.

"Ma'am, if I may, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor." Franklin didn't see the look.

"A favor, General? What kind of favor?" Anna had a pretty good idea what was coming. Here was her opportunity. "Go ahead. I am listening." She adjusted the volume to hear him better.

"General O'Neill can handle things while I am away." O'Neill had a look of oh no. Franklin obliviously plowed onward. Anna looked at him and frowned. "Ma'am, I have been thinking about the composition of people we have brought here. Knowing more about the situation, I believe we should make some changes. And I would like to request some different equipment."

"I see. Well, we usually do not discuss business tonight, but since time is short, I can see the necessity." Anna looked over at Zay. He knew what she had in mind already. "I suppose you have made a list?"

"That's just it, ma'am. I have but I think it would be better if I handled this myself back on Earth." Franklin looked over to Zay. "I sent a plaintext copy of the reports and my suggestions for the list to the Admiral per our standard arrangement."

Zay answered after some thought. "Yes, I saw it. I don't think it really requires anyone to go in person. We can send it through the Gate to the SGC tomorrow evening."

O'Neill understood his mistake. Oops. He was going to the Capital. "On second thought, I suppose it could be fun to check out the Capital with you ma'am. You are right. I didn't see it the first time I was there." He was alarmed he had just stepped in it but good. So, he was back peddling really fast.

"Why thank you, General O'Neill. I will be grateful for your company. You are very kind to offer to escort me." She put her cup down on the table. "You know, I think Zay, that as a personal favor to our Honored Lord General, we should do something for General Franklin." The music reached the point where Canio as Pagliaccio plays his part through his despair. The haunting music distracted her for a moment.

"Oh, what do you have in mind," asked Zay, knowing perfectly well what she was doing.

"I suppose that Colonel Mitchell and Commander Eli can watch over things here for a few days without our supervision. It is all so technical right now." She looked directly at Franklin. "We should let him go and deliver his report to the President." Franklin's eyebrows tried to crawl off his face. That's exactly what he intended to do. She was good.

"Well some precautions are in order." Zay looked severely at the general. "We shall supply you with jamming devices to defeat any surveillance. You must have them continually turned on during your stay on Earth. The distribution of the report should be limited to no more than five people of your choice." Franklin nodded in agreement.

"I think we have to be very careful with the general's personal report." Lady Anna did a tag team play. "I don't want you to make an oral briefing to anyone but the President himself. Everybody else will have to be limited to the contents of the report you provided Admiral Zay." She observed the reaction in General Franklin. Of course she had already read it. "I expect you to return four days after you depart. You will return to the Capital by Stargate so we can meet to return here together."

General Franklin said, "yes ma'am," just as the opera ended to Canio's chilling words, "the comedy is ended."

As soon as the dinner with Lady Anna concluded, O'Neill set outfind Daniel. If he was going on a trip, so was Daniel. Daniel had it just a little too easy this time. At a wall station, the computer told him where to find Daniel. So O'Neill wandered over to the BOQ. He entered to find a frat party in progress. Music was blaring out of a boombox. Daniel was standing on a table.

"So following the commandment of His Royal Highness, Lord Jack, I respectfully brought to his attention the audacity of taking St. Patrick hostage." Boos and hisses were loud enough to cover the sounds of burps. "His ancestor Niall of the Nine Hostages actually dared to capture the young St. Patrick. Of course, he let St. Patty go 'cuz we have St. Patrick's Day parades and all..."

"Daniel, how many beers did you have?" Jack used his most patient voice.

"Two, I think." Daniel had a big green shamrock pasted to his chest.

"Two too many for you. Somebody take that away from him." Jack raised his arm to defend himself from all the wads of paper flying his way. More boos added to the hilarity. Jack surveyed the company. Every last one of them was wearing a shamrock t-shirt. He could be a jerk or he could join in. "Lt. Colonel Carter, why are you not wearing a shamrock?"

Sam lurched to her feet. "Sir, I couldn't replicate my size." She was obviously partaking as well.

"As you were," said Jack. He sat down with his friend and demanded a beer. The party continued well into the night.

The news took the Capital by storm. Every channel broadcast the revelation. The Palace issued a bulletin. Previously unknown data from Earth indicated that Lord O'Neill was royalty. The primitive system of recordkeeping on Earth caused the delay for the Press Office. And, it was also the result of the humble nature of the great man. Praises of his character, his humility, and his royal heritage filled the news screens. His lineage was published. None of the names meant anything of course, until the oral history indicated that he was related to King Solomon. Even the farthest outpost would know in another day or two. And, it was announced that Lord O'Neill would attend the ceremonies in the Capital later that week with the Royal Family. In a great public gathering, United States Air Force Major General Jack O'Neill would be officially recognized by the King himself, as one of them. Another celebration party got underway. It would last for days.

The next morning, General Franklin sat in the oval office alone with President Hayes. "I think things are better than we thought. You were right, sir, Lady Anna is a straight shooter. She means what she says and says exactly what she means. I read General O'Neill's report from their first meetings. She has been consistent in her demands and straightforward from the get go. She said she wanted Jack, a few things from Earth, to be allowed to do some research here, and to cement our alliance through marriage. That's their societal values. It's a matter of style not content."

"Does she really want the Ark of the Covenant?" The President was worried.

"I believe if she said it, then she means it. What her time frame is I can't say." Franklin waited.

"Why do they want Jack so much?" President Hayes was really curious.

"I included Dr. Jackson's analysis about the cult of O'Neill that they built. I can't add much to it. They need O'Neill for their internal political purposes." General Franklin added his opinion, "other than that, they do not know that we can actually help them. But we are working hard to change their perception. On the good side, they regard us as their lost younger brothers. And they treat us as family. Everyone is shown respect. There have been no threats or coercion. My visit here is a signal to you. You know that I did not have to come."

Hayes nodded. "How serious are they about going after the bad guys? Or is it something else?" President Hayes steepled his fingers over his chest and sat back.

"They are deadly serious. Lady Anna is fanatically determined to prevent another one of their planets from getting torched." Franklin paused. "I think that is the single biggest factor in this whole deal."

President Hayes nodded his understanding. "Can they really take out the bad guys or are they going to start something they can't finish?"

"They can finish it. It will be very costly without our help. They need us to limit the damage. If they don't have us, Dr. Jackson thinks the repercussion to their society will be tremendous. If we show them how to fight this war to win, we can help them limit the impact on their society." He smiled. "Sir, Lady Anna is a most formidable woman with tremendous charisma. She is dedicated to this task."

"So I have heard. But do she and her people have the stomach for decades of conflict?" He listened intently for the answer.

General Franklin paused to organize his thoughts. "Sir, remember that decades for them with their extended life spans doesn't mean the same thing as it does to us. So, yes, I think they can do it."

"Do you really think she will give us what she promised?" Hayes thought about it and added, "You have met her one on one?

"I have no reason to doubt her." Franklin smiled, "And yes, I met her. Jack and I had dinner with her two nights ago. We gave her a box of chocolates. You should have seen her face." Both men chuckled. "She is a master manipulator. But, my assessment of her is positive."

"Ok, I am authorizing you to proceed. You will have everything at the Stargate by the time you leave." The meeting ended and General Franklin went home to kiss his grandkids. He might not see them again for a while. It would be a long war.

That same day, Jack gated back to Anna's capital with her. She wanted something badly by makingthis trip. She never did anything without a purpose. He had learned that much the last three weeks. "You are up to something. Confess." Jack spoke to Anna in the privacy of the aircar. The steeples and spires of tall towers dripping greenery swept past them. But the vista had no appeal for Jack. He kept his focus on the Lady in front of him. She was as devious as she was beautiful. And she was really beautiful. "Oh for crying out loud, Anna, you might as well tell me. I'll have to do it anyway."

"I am always up to something, as you put it." Anna smiled with her lips but her eyes were hard as steel. "All you have to do is stand there and look glorious. You can do that, Jack? Stand there and look glorious?"

"Oh please," Jack knew there was much more. He wasn't afraid, just annoyed. He really did not appreciate being used for her political agenda. "And...?"

"And, don't worry about it." Anna gave him a look that said drop it. She did not want to hear the complaining if she told him. Jack was right. He would do it anyway.

O'Neill lost interest and switched subjects. "Thanks for letting Bob go home and take those three guys. You surprised me, Anna." He nodded at her. "I didn't think anyone would ever leave."

"Jack, really, I am not a monster, or are you still unsure?" Anna teased him.

"I get it Anna. Really, I do." Jack was honest with himself. I am the only person not leaving, he thought. Well then, there was hope for Carter. Maybe he could get her home. But at the moment, she was having too much fun with all the alien toys. Daniel was useless to them, so he could probably go back as well. But Mitchell and Teal'c were another matter.

"I am grateful we have the ability to understand each other so well, Jack," Anna said acknowledging his cooperation. "Actually, this afternoon, I am going to take some time off. So, you have the opportunity to go with Dr. Jackson on a tour of the city."

"You are going to let me out of your sight? Ok, now I have to know. What's up?" Jack was alert. For the past month, he had not left her immediate control. He was with or near her 24/7. Even when he slept, he figured she had people watching him.

Anna considered and took her time. "My Lord, even I have personal issues that need attention. You would not want to go with me." He cocked his head and thought about it.

"Nope, I'm not buying it. I'm keeping my eye on you. Where you go, I go. But where you will not go with me, I will not go. This togetherness cuts both ways." Jack could be obstinate when he was suspicious. Then he got a look at her face. It was registering shock. "What?"

Anna was disturbed. A shiver ran down her spine. "Then, I will surely go with you. We go on this journey not for our own honor. We go for the sake of our people to do the right thing before God. For this, He will deliver the enemy into the hands of a woman. Thank you, My Lord General."

Anna looked out the window of the air car. The last week had been disturbing. The Earth analysts had given her war plans the once over. They showed her some real deficits in the plans. The upshot was that even they knew this would be a long drawn out war. She could never believe the over-optimistic forecasts of her staff. As much as she had been able to train her people, it was not easy to build a military. None of them had any experience conducting a war. More importantly, using the military in a bloody war would tear apart the very fabric of her peaceful society. The Earth Force confirmation of her own fears only increased her concern.

"Where we going, ma'am?" Jack was getting impatient. As promised, Lady Anna took Jack with her on her day off in the Capital. He didn't believe her when she said she had personal matters needing her attention. In fact, he had a hard time believing her at all.

"My Lord General, I told you that I am on personal business." Anna frowned. She was not exactly happy. But since Jack insisted that he go everywhere with her, ostensibly to keep an eye on her, here he was.

"Oh please. You are not a person who deals with small personal business." Jack was annoyed. He felt like he was on her leash. Well, he was pulling her a little too. And, he was keeping her in his sights. "For what are you going to use me today?"

"Please, My Lord General, do not be concerned." She thought better of her response. "General O'Neill, I am grateful for your company." They had four days here. Why not use the opportunity? Luckily, Dr. Jackson had created another suitable excuse to parade Jack in front of the masses. Dr. Jackson revealed that the O'Neill family line had been royalty in the past. Anna intended to use that fact and any other opportunity. Using him as a media tool to inspire the people had a finite life span. Jack had a pretty good idea what she was planning for this trip.

"Ma'am, there is no great wisdom in these appearances." He could see her ignore the point. Jack hoped he could explain how important it was for her to stop. "Ma'am, you are creating a monster you will not be able to control. I have seen it before. What are you planning?" She just looked out the window. "I wish you would tell me the truth. I'll find out soon anyway."

"My Lord General," Anna had a stern look. "I have never, repeat, never lied to you. I don't tell you everything. But I always tell you the truth." She sat back arranging her dress in annoyance. "My Lord O'Neill, you try my patience."

"Is that a fact, ma'am?"

Jack thought about the last month's events. Going back over everything, he realized she was right. She never told an outright lie. But she was hiding so much that it just felt as though she was lying. The ability to discern the truth had kept him alive in the Special Ops. He tried again.

"Ma'am, you are lying to your people about me. You are setting us up for disaster." He looked at her again. She was annoyed. This woman, this powerful leader of so many, did not keep a poker face with him. Interesting, he thought. Maybe she had decided he did not matter anymore. Aw crap, it was going to be one of those days. He would be in the wrong again.

"Ok, I'm sorry. You have never lied to me. I just don't like this personality cult you built. And I really don't like being used for some wacky propaganda. I'm telling you it is a bad idea. It has been tried on Earth. Lady, you are flirting with disaster." There he got it off his chest.

"Jack, how dare you call me a liar?" She snarled at him. That took him by surprise. "I have tolerated your accusations, insinuations, outright insults, and yes, even actual assaults on my person." He looked confused at the last one. Jack saw her absent mindedly rubbing her hands. He realized what she meant. That first evening he had not been a gentleman and had hurt her hand. He shifted in his seat feeling uncomfortable. "Fortunately for you, I need you." She gave him a look that made him realize he might not outlive his usefulness.

"Yes, I've been meaning to talk to you about that." Jack frowned. He asserted himself again. "You do need me, but not for these appearances." Jack faced her square on. "Ma'am, you are trying to make me a killer without a soul. On Earth, there have been many like that. There have been warriors and government agents who appear to act with morality but these killers are ruthless. They won many battles. But they always lost in the end because they lost their souls." Anna interrupted him.

"Enough. I have been a politician in my society longer than you have been alive." Anna gave him the look of a teacher to a student acting out. "You are a propaganda opportunity. And that is all."

"A propaganda opportunity?" He used the two fingers of each hand in the quotation gesture. Getting harangued by a woman was not O'Neill's favorite pastime. "Lady, you are way out of your league with this situation. Get this through your head," Jack was really frustrated. "You need real military expertise, not some icon. You need my help to teach your people how to fight. You are teaching them to sacrifice themselves and their victims. That is just wrong on so many levels."

"How can I trust a barbarian to help me?" She let that sink in. "General O'Neill, I need more than a fighter. I need a civilized man." Anna took a deep breath and glared at him. He looked away in anger. "Face me when I speak to you." She commanded him in a voice only a powerful leader could manage. He slowly turned his head to her. His eyes narrowed in anger. "No matter how respectfully we treat you, you cannot be civilized enough to return even small courtesies to us. So I conclude that you can't act civilized to save your soul. A civilized man can act like a barbarian. But a barbarian cannot act like a civilized man."

The two of them rode along in silence for a few minutes. She really hit home with that speech. Jack reflected on what she said, not wanting to believe it. When he thought about it, what did she ask? She wanted courtesy and respect. For that, she was willing to fight for them all against a powerful enemy. She was willing to help Earth progress. But, she thought she needed a hero to motivate her people to kill and he was it. Only the message was all wrong. And she did not understand it. Jack sighed. Oh yes, her threat was real. Keep it up pal, and you will be lucky to get your ass exiled the moment she is done with you. He did not want to think about the alternative. Daniel was right. He needed to be Prince Charming to this royal lady. There was too much at stake for everyone.

"Ma'am," Jack began and stopped. He looked to see if she would be receptive to an overture. "My Lady Anna, please, I am not good at this." She looked down but was listening. Jack was never good at expressing himself.So hepaused to gather his thoughts. "Ok, I'll try it your way in public. But you should listen to me." Anna nodded, satisfied.

Her first stop was at the University Medical Center. The Lady had a doctor's appointment. Because of the Commandment against killing, her personal physician had a hard time even appearing in the military camp. So she had to go to him. At the Center, the staff was ready to greet her and begin. Lady Anna turned to Jack and asked him to go on a tour of the Center. It seemed like a reasonable request. So Jack joined the staff and had a look around. He had no idea what he was looking at but he was impressed. Everyone was delighted to meet him. He especially enjoyed talking to the patients who were there for military injuries. He could understand why Anna thought it would boost morale. After all, the brass and other celebrities at home would visit places like Walter Reed Army Hospital near the Pentagon for the same reason.

Afterwards, he toured the University grounds. It was enormous. And it was old. The beautiful campus had parks filled with lush gardensdotted with fountains and benches. Colorful banks of flowers decorated the campus. Large buildings clustered around the open garden areas. It was a temple to learning populated by children who appeared to be too young to be students. Jack felt old.

Word had spread that he was present. Back at the Medical Center, a large gathering of people stood, waiting for him. A great crowd of children pressed forward. The news people lined the path back to the building. Lady Anna was just leaving and offered to make a statement. Jack took his place beside her and listened to her make a speech presenting awards to the doctors who treated the injured from the recent battles. When she was done, the news people broke ranks and demanded that he speak. O'Neill had no idea what to say. So, Anna whispered in his ear to say something nice about the campus and his visit. That started it. No one was going to let him go before he told the story of the Battle of Vorash in his own words, again.

Later, in the air car, Jack looked at Anna and said, "you knew that would happen? Ok, I get it. Nothing happens by accident around you. Did you get what you wanted from me?" She gave him a huge smile. "Right." She was getting a lot of mileage out of him. Well, he was cooperating. But he was worried. The value of celebrity did not last.

A few minutes later, the air car descended in the middle of some kind of plaza. Lady Anna wanted to go shopping. The two of them strolled down the boulevard. Crowds began to gather. To his mind, a woman shopping was universal. Some things are nearly genetic. Still, shopping was not the worst thing he was ever asked to do.

When they exited the shop, he noticed the news people were waiting again at the end of the plaza near a large building. On the steps of that public building, the Lady gave a speech about preserving their society in the face of adversity. The newsies didn't care. They wanted to hear from O'Neill. The crowd pressed up to the steps of the building where the two of them stood. Anna told him to say something about the importance of a strong military to protect society. He stumbled through a short statement and waved to the crowd. The cheers brought even more people.

At that point, the Mayor came out of the building to greet both of them. He made a speech. Then he welcomed O'Neill and presented him with something official cast in solid gold as a gift. When the General explained that he could not accept gifts of any kind by regulation, the Mayor was dumbfounded. United States military and government personnel were forbidden to accept even small gifts. Jack explained that in his position, he could not to appear to be compromised for any reason. Jack gave a recital of the reasons why government officials and military officers had to maintain a strict code of ethics. Then he thanked the Mayor for the thought and turned to Lady Anna for help.

Jack's code of ethics brought a new concept to this society where gifts were not exactly bribes but tokens of respect. The crowd murmured and grew restless. Then the assembly exploded into cheers. O'Neill was taken aback. The Mayor responded by declaring him to be the most honorable man alive. Then on his own authority he forbade any city official from accepting any more gifts, ever. Lady Anna added her own prohibition for the military. Jack found it interesting that such a small matter made an immediate and deep impression. As he was looking to the Lady to finish the proceeding, pandemonium broke loose. The crowd surged forward. People were grabbing at him, trying to touch him. Some were weeping or screaming. People called out his name. Jack became alarmed. His uniform was torn. People were clutching at his feet. Somehow, Anna walked through it all untouched and got him out of there.

What he didn't understand was that Anna had activated her personal shield extending it to cover them both. The crowd surged because an assassin had tried to take themout. The screams were the injured falling. But keeping their composure sent a greater signal. She found the way out. And Jack never missed a beat not realizing what was happening all around him. He thought it was just a bunch of groupies gone mad.

Jack found their hero worship terribly disturbing. In Jack's opinion, it was out of control. Today's events just added fuel to the fire. He had read Daniel's report on the cult of O'Neill she built here. Building up such inflated expectations would only lead to disaster. And, the message was all wrong. Even Anna's propaganda machine could not make him into a god-like superhero that always leads the people to victory. Sooner or later someone would notice that the emperor had no clothes. When that happened, Jack was savvy enough to know that she would feed him to the wolves.

Once out of the plaza, Lady Anna explained that she was on the board of directors for a new museum. She told Jack that one of her private efforts was to fund the preservation and study of the artifacts retrieved through the Stargate. So, they were off to attend a reception at the Museum of Ancient History. The air car sped along for a quarter hour through the vast city. Jack noticed the hanging gardens from every tower. This society of gardeners and philosophers was not ready for the war that was coming.

At the museum, Jack caught up with Daniel. Daniel was in conference with the Director. As usual, Daniel was very excited. Jack sighed. At least someone was enjoying this whole experience. Daniel was lapping it all up. Jack stood across the hall and watched Daniel's animated conversation. Daniel lived in such a different world. Everything was interesting. Everyone was fascinating. He savored every experience. Jack wondered what that felt like. Maybe he was just feeling his age among all these ageless people.

"Jack, Jack, you have to see this." Daniel motioned for Jack to come over. Daniel introduced him to the Director, who was overcome with awe at meeting O'Neill the Great. This was getting old, thought Jack. The Director's assistant fainted. Daniel caught her before her head hit the stone floor. Jack just frowned and rubbed his eyes. This was too much. I am not a rock star, thought Jack. The whole alien love fest of him was just too much. The whole experience lost its charm. He had had enough.

"Oh for crying out loud, this has to stop, because I am going to lose it. As in go crazy, bonkers, insane, loony, three fries short of a Happy Meal. Wacko!" In that moment, Jack made his decision. "Daniel, let's go. I mean it. We are outta here. Excuse me Mr. Director, which way to the Stargate?" Jack looked around for the exit. "I swear I shall walk if I have to, but I am done." He started to stride off in the direction he entered. Lady Anna was just walking into the room. Anna was planning a war and it was going badly behind the scenes. He and his people were at risk. Someone had to pull the plug.

The Director was aghast. He did not know what went wrong. Lord O'Neill was clearly angry with him. And he had no idea what to do. Lord O'Neill was threatening to leave them and go home. The shame for this would be on his head for all eternity. So he did the only thing he could think to do. He screamed, _**"NOOOOOO!"**_

In that moment, all hell broke loose. Guards came running. People ran into the hall. The doors automatically shut and locked. Alarms went off. Security panels slammed across windows. It went dark. Emergency lights flickered. Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a butane lighter so he could see. The Director pointed at Jack and hollered, **_"Lord O'Neill! NO!"_** Jack spun around. Daniel lit the flame only to set off the sprinklers, too. The lights came back on. Drenched, Daniel took up a defensive position at Jack's back. About 100 people fell to their knees and blocked their path. In the middle of all the chaos, Jack and Daniel stood there in shock, soaked through to the bone. Lady Anna stood there like a Greek statue, dripping wet and shivering.

The newsies had a field day. The mess at the Museum of Ancient History was the lead story on every channel. Reports of an assassination attempt on O'Neill, the Great made all the headlines. A bedraggled duo looked out from every news screen on every street corner. The broadcasts showed Jack and Daniel being led away, protected by Palace Security. The damage at the museum was unbelievable. The water ruined two priceless manuscripts, three ancient books, several wall tapestries, and various historical documents. The Director was arrested. No one was sure just what had happened. But, the scandal was on everyone's lips. Angry crowds massed in the public squares demanding the perpetrators be punished for daring to assault their Lord General.

Lady Anna was furious. That man was an utter barbarian. She left instructions to leave the two of them locked up in the back of the palace for the night. Let them think this over. She was through being patient. The velvet gloves were coming off the fists of steel. Nice did not work. Let's see how ruthless would do.

Several hours later, Jack and Daniel were still locked up. No one was coming to bail them out. The small rooms were dimly lit for sleeping. Jack and Daniel were in separate rooms across from each other separated by a force field and a walkway. The situation was Spartan but clean. Dinner had been marginal but ok. And it was really quiet.

"Jack?" Daniel called out. "You there?"

"Yes, Daniel. I'm here. What do you want?" Jack was trying to sleep. This day had been a nightmare.

"Jack, were you really going to try to go home?"

"Yes, Daniel. I was."

"Why?" Daniel asked in his peeved voice. Jack did not answer. "Jack, you owe me an explanation."

"No, Daniel, I don't."

"What happened today?"

"Long story."

"What did you do?"

"The very young do not always do as they are told. Something the Nox once told me, ya know?"

"Think they will leave us here for a while?"

"Until she wants to use me again, yes."

"She used you? I can't believe it. Did she really?"

"Daniel, watch it. Don't go there."

"Oh. You poor man. A woman used you." Daniel was at his most sarcastic. "You don't like to be admired, so you had a hissy fit?"

"It's not like that, and you know it."

Daniel's head moved up and down saying yes but his lips said, "No, no I don't."

"Shut up, Daniel."

"Jack, don't be an ass." Daniel rolled over and tried to sleep. It was a long night.


	9. Battles

Chapter Nine: Battle

In the wee hours of the morning, General Hammond arrived at palace. His expression was grim. O'Neill had been a loose cannon many times before. But he had never acted out so badly with so much at stake. Hammond was here to sort things out. The President wanted to know what really happened. From what the alien Ambassador told him, he realized that Jack just delivered another bargaining chip. By contacting the President, the Lady revealed that she still had use for Jack. Even better, she needed the President to get what she wanted. Hayes looked at Hammond and said, "go."

The aliens took the general to where Jack and Daniel were locked up. Hammond looked around and decided that this place did not get much use. Then he saw Jack was sleeping. The guard was watching. Hammond knew the area must have surveillance as well. So put on his angry face for the benefit of those watching.

**"On your feet!"** Hammond barked. The force field was lowered. Jack did not move. So Hammond walked up to the bed and used his foot. "Get up you insubordinate sonofabitch. I said get up. _Now_, airman." Jack awoke confused to be hearing Hammond's voice. Instinctively, Jack got himself up. It was Hammond.

"Nice to see you, George. Gonna spring me?" Jack rubbed his eyes. And then he saw Hammond's face. It was pure fury. "Aw crap. I don't want to hear it. I got it all night from Daniel."

"The President wants to know what were you thinking? " Hammond turned to the guard and nodded for him to leave. Then he spoke softly to Jack, "Have a seat, General. Let's hear it."

Jack realized he was not really in trouble. He thought for a moment and said, "This hero worship is out of control. It's going to backfire big time. When it does, she's going to take a fall and we go with her. I wanted to leave and regroup back on Earth. They over reacted and the museum, where we were.Ittook some damage from the sprinkler system accidentally going off."

"Understood." Hammond whispered. More loudly he said, "From what I have heard from these folks, you are one nasty bastard." Jack never heard things like this come from a gentleman like Hammond. This was serious. "Your orders, General, are to play ball with the Lady. Let us handle the politics. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir. It's clear." Jack checked Hammond again and realized his message had been received. Now it was up to his superiors to deal with the situation.

"Good. You will assist them in every way possible. You will smile and like it. You will be an absolute gentleman. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." From Hammond's tone and stance, Jack knew this time Hammond meant it. Reflexively, Jack saluted Hammond as the older man stomped out. Jack followed behind with Daniel bringing up the rear. The guards directed the group to Lady Anna's sitting room. Hammond went inside alone.

"Thank you for coming, General Hammond. We are grateful for the prompt response from your sovereign, the President." Lady Anna smiled up at Hammond.

"Yes, ma'am. The President wants me to assure you that we are able to handle O'Neill. He can be unpredictable, but now he understands the situation better." Hammond paused and added, " I was thinking that I could spare you any other problems by meeting with General O'Neill more regularly, say once a week. I think we could smooth over any problems before they happen, if you know what I mean."

Lady Anna pretended to begrudge him her consent with a small hesitation. "Of course you must be right, My Lord." She rose from her chair. "Thank you for your kind attention to this small matter." Hammond bowed and left. Anna smiled to herself. The lines of communication with Earth just stabilized. O'Neill was reined in. It wasn't worth thinking about any more. She went back to reading reports.

While Jack and Daniel cooled their heels in Lady Anna's waiting room, the Lady herself reviewed the last month's events. The disaster yesterday at the Museum of Ancient History actually played into her plans. The public was aroused by the accusations of an assassination plot against Lord O'Neill. Of course there was no plot there, it had happened in the plaza with the Mayor. But the sprinkler accident needed an explanation and she needed to show Jack who was boss. His leader played into her plans as well by sending his advisor to rein in a recalcitrant hero. The newsies lapped up the visit by General Hammond to the palace.

All in all, she decided the fishing expedition to Earth was paying off. While nothing substantial was really accomplished, the propaganda she could use was enormous. She was the one to find the Holy Mother Planet and the hero Jack O'Neill. As a result, her prestige and power were in the ascendant. Her efforts to build a military and continue the funding against powerful political opposition were on track. And she seemed to have won the hearts and minds of the populace more. But real tangible gains were minimal. The Earth Force advisors sent by the President had not told her anything she did not already know about waging war. They reviewed her plans and also concluded this war would be messy and extended. True, they found a few elements to adjust, but nothing too drastic. They did not know her real capabilities after all. But the one thing to which she could point as a discovery was chocolate. Yes, chocolate was definitely a find.

Now what remained before launching her attacks on their enemy was solidifying her internal allies to cover her back while she was away on the front. The family connections between each clan formed the basis of real power in her society. Each clan had a Matriarch who dealt with her peers in other families to secure the peace. While the men ran the external government of the Commonwealth, the women were the true power in the society. They arranged internal clan matters and dealt with the other clans to settle disputes, make marriage alliances, and trade favors. Anna had an appointment to meet with her clan Matriarch that morning. Anna had been told to bring O'Neill for inspection. Anna's Matriarch was not ready to grant her support, and that support was the key.

A short time later, Daniel and Jack were being packed off again in an air car. Jack saw that the next stop was a huge palace. The air car descended and rolled to a stop. Upon exiting the vehicle, liveried attendants met the two of them. Jack ran his fingers through his short silver hair. It was one impressive house. On a tour of duty in Europe, Jack had visited Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Compared to this place, the Earth palace was a tract house in suburbia. He wondered how the owner would react to his cabin in Minnesota. In true American style, Jack became concerned how this accumulation of wealth affected the ordinary citizen. He made a mental note to ask Daniel for a report on the attitudes of the common people to the hereditary rulers here.

The palace was so imposing he wondered who could be here. Before he could ask, a transporter beam set them somewhere inside the palace. Lady Anna was waiting for them. Jack gave her his best salute. Daniel bowed. Lady Anna regarded them coldly and told Jack his saluting privileges were revoked. He could just bow like everyone else. Reluctantly, Jack offered a proper bow. She just turned on her heel and left them to follow her.Lady Anna knew where she was going so they just followed her like puppies. Everything was exquisite and very expensive. The art, the decorations, the furnishings all made a huge impression. These people did not do things by half measure in anything from ships to palaces. Lady Anna stopped at a set of doors and turned to him.

"My Lord General, I must ask you, please, whatever you do, do not upset this person. She is extremely old." She regarded him with some anxiety. He looked at her with a question in his expression. "She is over two hundred years old. Please, she is not well." He nodded. She acknowledged his assent by instructing the footman to open the doors. Well, thought Jack, he had never met a two hundred year old person. This was interesting. Daniel raised his eyebrows and Jack shrugged back.

Jack wondered how much of this visit was really personal business. Following Anna into the room, Jack observed how Anna respectfully stood until summoned. Inside the room sat a very old woman at the fireplace. The old woman motioned to Lady Anna to come forward. Jack saw that Anna was nervous. He found her discomfort a sign of something important here. As Jack observed the situation carefully, he saw Anna lean over and kiss the old woman on the cheek. Then the Lady sat on a chair next to the old woman and held the woman's hand. They spoke quietly for many minutes. Jack's assessment of the interchange indicated there was deep affection between the women, but they did not agree about something. He watched to see what would develop. He was correct, very little of Anna's personal business was actually personal. She was a consummate politician.

Jack waited patiently to find out just who this important old lady could be. Anna spoke softly and indicated at Jack to the old woman. The old woman looked at him appraisingly and looked back at Anna. An ironic smile crossed the old face. The woman sighed deeply. Anna stood up and motioned to Jack to approach and sit.

"My Lord General Jack O'Neill of Earth, Princess Ellen, my great-great-great aunt. Princess Ellen is my oldest living relative and the Matriarch of our family."

Jack smiled pleasantly and said, "Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Daniel had said something earlier to him about this being a somewhat matriarchal society. However, all the public officials except Lady Anna seemed to be men. He should have paid more attention. It was just that Daniel did go on and on about so many things. One of these days Daniel would learn to prioritize. "Ma'am, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, a member of my team, SG-1." Daniel bowed again to the old woman.

The Princess turned to Jack. "So, you are the One?" Ellen's voice was deep but soft. She looked back at Anna. "He really exists?" Anna nodded yes. "Hmmph. Little Girl, you never cease to amaze me. I thought he was just a myth you invented." Ellen looked him over again. She motioned for Jack to come and sit next to her. He complied. The Princess took a few moments before speaking again. "Did you really do what she says you did?"

Jack nodded, "Most of it." And then he looked down in modesty.

"Hmmph. Do you have any idea what she wants to do?" He nodded yes again. "Hmmph. She wants to start a war." The sharp clear eyes were angry. "I told her she doesn't understand what she is unleashing." Ellen closed her eyes for a few moments and continued. "Did you try to tell her, too?" Jack made a small shrug. "Yes, she doesn't listen to me either." Ellen looked over to the fire. "Are you going to help her?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am trying." Jack did not know what else to say.

"Then neither one of you knows what you are doing." The Princess looked sad. After a few moments of thought, the old woman added, "My girl will preside over the destruction of our people just as surely as if the enemy did it. All we have built, all we have struggled to make, our entire society will be swept away." She turned away and motioned for them to leave.

"Nana, will you?" Lady Anna was anxious. She looked at the old woman with a question on her face.

"No." The old woman gave a cold stare. Anna bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

"But, this is the last time I can come for a very long while." Anna was getting worried. "I need your blessing."

"You will inherit the whirlwind, girl. And that's my last word on the subject." The old woman motioned again for them to leave. Anna went white. Jack saw it. He had never seen her unnerved. Clearly, this old woman was important and powerful. And she had just made an important decision.

"Can you tell me what just happened?" Jack asked softly. Seeing the Lady turn white was exceptionally disturbing. Anna turned away to leave. Jack became concerned for his team. He wished diplomacy were as direct as the battlefield. At least there he knew what to do and who was the enemy. Now he had to do a threat assessment. So Jack took the initiative to find out just what the powers that be on this world really thought.

"Ma'am, I know I am an outsider here, but since I am involved and now my people are too, I am wondering what you decided." O'Neill scrutinized the old woman's face. He could tell that Anna was shocked that he had asserted himself and had spoken out of turn. But, he did not care.

"My Lord General, my aunt has given us her leave to go." Anna gestured to the door with a worried look. "We must go."

"Jack, I think..." Jack interrupted Daniel.

"No, not before I understand what she means." Jack planted himself firmly before the old woman, "What happens here will affect Earth. I cannot leave, my lady." He cocked his head and stuck his hands in his pockets. The old woman regarded him sternly. He just kept her gaze. Jack had all his chips in. Anna was visibly uncomfortable.

"General O'Neill, I told Lady Anna I would not give her my blessing for this war," said the Princess.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "And, so, therefore, what?" He turned to the Lady for an explanation. Anna was horrified. He had just promised not to act out. Before she could react, the Princess spoke.

"I am told you are a hero because you fight to defend us all." The old woman continued. "How do you know making war is the right course for us to take?" Jack looked over at Anna. "I am speaking to you, young man, not to her."

"Daniel?" Jack indicated Daniel should answer. Dr. Jackson took a moment to phrase his answer. "Ma'am, we have learned through hardship that trying to appease aggressors and tyrants only makes things worse in the long run."

Princess Ellen looked at the Lady. "My Girl, you are ignorant, reckless, and careless." Ellen lectured on. "How can you make the decision to fight for so many people on so many worlds?" To Jack she added, "You assume that our situation is like your own. You assume too much." Princess Ellen closed her eyes.

Ellen tried again. "Lord O'Neill, you are a fighter so you advise us to fight. Your people are accustomed to the perversity of war. But we are not. Worse, you have not explored other options. You have not been told enough about us to even think about other options. That is your fault for not asking. It is her fault for not telling you. In this, you act in ignorance."

Jack had to admit she had a point. Anna had not been forthcoming but he had not pushed too hard either. He wanted what she was offering to his people, speedy advancement, information, and technology to defend his world. Selfishly, he had not explored other options or thought of the implications for the other side. He wasn't sure there were any other options. And the fortunes of Earth were now connected to these people. What happened to them would impact Earth.

This interview was tiring the elderly Matriarch. But maybe she could reach out to this man and stop the madness before it went much farther "Lord O'Neill, what makes you think you know enough to advise us?"

"Ma'am, I know this enemy. Their ways are not your ways." Jack was getting frustrated. "Look, I don't want to fight them. But they give us no choice. I believe in peace. Really I do. But sometimes turning the other cheek just doesn't work." Jack believed that statement with all his heart.

"I ask you: How does it profit us to destroy ourselves while trying to save ourselves? Hmm?" The Princess paused to collect herself. "You have not made plans to deal with the aftermath. You are careless with the lives of my people. You do not understand how our people will deal with all of this. Not knowing but acting is reckless."

"Listen to me." Jack became impassioned. "These enemies will enslave you. It's what they do. If they can't, they will destroy you. And now they know about you. Whatever else happens, you had better get afraid enough to fight."

Being a major general meant O'Neill had to deal with more than just military issues. He spent his time developing policy. As a Special Ops Colonel in the field, he had one job. He had to obtain alien knowledge and technology to defend Earth. But now, he was a senior member of Earth's defenses. And what this woman said was true. He did not know what the fallout here would be. If Earth was going to get in bed with these folks, he had more to consider. As his people's representative, Jack was a de facto diplomat and statesman. The realization hit him, as it never had before. He was not just a military man any more.

The old woman relentlessly continued her lecture. "The forces in our society that make us peaceful have not adjusted enough to allow for the carnage that will come. When that happens, I tell you, we are finished as a people." The old woman turned to Anna. "Girl, if you act upon your hurt and take this arrogant course before I have done my job, you will destroy this society. I am commanding you to restrain your desires and be prudent. Have patience a while longer. You cannot proceed until I have settled the internal opposition. Disobey me at your peril."

"Nana, the enemy is almost in position to strike us. We have little time left to protect ourselves. I must strike before they can act." Anna had tried to reason like this before. She needed the powerful support that this woman could give her. Anna operated the military and was a political power herself. But the Matriarch had resources far beyond Anna's capabilities. The Matriarch was right; the internal situation was far from ideal. Her people were not ready to fight and take great losses. And time was short.

"My Girl, you must develop a better overall strategy than just giving these monsters a bloody nose." The Princess turned to O'Neill. "General, what can you offer to provide the extra time while limiting our exposure?"

"Ma'am, I have brought experts to Lady Anna. But you must tell us the grand strategy you propose. Describe to us your criteria and limiting factors. My people can formulate a response to whatever strategy you decide. Then, we can provide the military expertise to get the job done." Jack paused and raised the stakes. "But you have to act. Because I am certainly not going to sit around here and watch a slaughter."

The old woman considered for a moment, and then spoke tiredly. "The strategy is simple. We have to make these enemies abandon their plans to annihilate us. But, we must act in such a way that our society can survive. Our philosophy limits our course of action. You must understand that our people will not accept a situation where they must take life on the scale Lady Anna foresees. There must be a way to make this enemy understand that we can inflict terrible damage to them without actually taking life. As the leaders of our people, it is our duty to protect our people. Our government will fall if our people suffer the loss of another planet. So, we must make this enemy incapable of inflicting significant damage to us. While I manage the internal politics, can you limit the damage to something our society can accept and develop a better plan to defeat this enemy?"

"I don't know, Ma'am." Jack looked at Anna and took his time to think. "I can tell you that we shall do everything possible to limit the casualties while making it very difficult for the enemy to act. You have to beat the crap out of them a few times until they realize you can hurt them. But sometimes, you do not go for a direct all out victory. Sometimes you have to create a stalemate, as a stalling tactic to buy time. You have to fight a Cold War."

Daniel jumped in. "We went through a period we called the Cold War because we did not actually fight battles but positioned ourselves to fight. Our enemy realized we could hurt them badly. As a result, they pushed themselves to meet the counter-threat we posed. However, they were reluctant to act violently against us. But all their resources went to getting ready to fight and not to their people. Eventually, their people rebelled. In the end, there was no blood shed between us."

Jack paused and thought for a moment. "And you have to abandon this propaganda campaign about me. Daniel tell her."

Daniel interrupted. "Lady Anna, you are separating the need to kill for defense from the struggle to decide to do it. You focus on the wrong thing. You try to teach your people it is good to kill for defense. You point to Jack as the ultimate killing machine. But you should focus on his humanity. All you will get from your message is a bunch of homicidal maniacs. Then, you will lose control."

"I have always portrayed you as a man of great morality, My Lord General." Anna was flustered. "Surely you can see how honorably I have described you? I have emphasized how you have adhered to the principles of justice and the defense of the innocent."

"No, that's just it, Ma'am." Daniel saw his opening. "On my world we have had societies with killers who pretend to protect the innocent while being ruthless against their opponents. Eventually, the killers decide who is innocent. Their murdering gets out of control quickly. Even the governments they serve become the servants of the killers."

"The difference between us and our enemies at home is the training to check ourselves every time we kill. Before and after every battle, I review the decision to kill to see if I can live with myself. My warriors all do the same thing." Jack paused to see if she understood. She did not. "Daniel, feel free to jump in here."

"Many times, the struggle over this decision to kill causes policemen or soldiers such anguish they can not continue." Daniel waited for that information to be processed. "My Lady, you focus only on the ability of a hero to kill for the sake of defense, not his internal struggle that goes with it."

"And, you are misleading your people about the situation out there. The Goa'uld are not really defeated. They just had a big set back. They are still at it. The shipbuilding just proves it." Jack looked sadly at Anna. "Ma'am, you are not focusing on the right message. And I am telling you straight out, it will bite you in the ass." Daniel shook his head. Some things would never change with Jack.

"Anna, do you understand that telling the masses that Lord O'Neill defeated the Goa'uld works against you?" To Jack she added, "I can see you understand that you that the enemy still has the will to act. Little Girl, until the enemy realizes they are beaten, they are not defeated."

"So, what you are saying is that the enemy's will must be destroyed. I understand that, Nana. That's what I am trying to do. Once they understand we can destroy their ships, they will think better about coming after us." Lady Anna looked around for support and found none.

Ma'am, that's exactly what we are telling you is not true. As long as they think they can act, they will work to find another way to come against you. Blowing up some ships accomplishes nothing." Daniel looked over to Jack. "Tell her what you need to do to solve this mess."

"To really help here, my people need to know more about your capabilities." Jack thought for a moment and continued. "And, we need to know what the Wannabes get from the Goa'uld that is critical to their society so we can keep it from them. We can make them understand that we have the ability to destroy them if they try to destroy you. And we can assure them you have the will to do it. It's called M.A.D. or mutually assured destruction. From that point, we can strangle their trade and bring their production to a halt. In the process, we can make them so miserable that their people's will to act is eroded."

"Finally someone understands that an enemy with the will to act was never defeated." The Matriarch regarded Jack with approval. "The Goa'uld know that however many Jaffa they lose, there will be some other method to rise and strike again."

You mean like Anubis' drones?" Jack understood her point. The old woman looked confused.

Daniel explained. "When the Jaffa rebelled in big enough numbers, Anubis built drones to take their place. The drones pose their own problems. We have been aware for some time that the Goa'uld are making some other type of new army."

"So long as the Goa'uld think they can continue, I agree, they are not defeated." Jack looked at Anna with a look that said he was way ahead of her.

"You knew about their attempt to rise again?" Anna was speechless.

"We keep tabs on them, yes. Anubis left behind some pretty scary experiments to breed another kind of soldier." Jack gave her a look to say he was nobody's fool. "And we know that Ba'al has gotten his hands on the means to breed more drones."

"You know about that, too? Why didn't you act against his facilities?" Anna was confused.

"We were acting on it. We just didn't tell you." O'Neill turned his attention back to the old woman. "And no, you don't know everything about us. Some data was not kept on computers." Anna's eyes grew wide. He frowned. "What?"

"My Lady," Daniel began soothingly. "Even though we are less advanced in science than your people, we are not without our own strengths and abilities. Let us join together as friends and allies because we want the same thing, the same way, for the same reasons. We are more alike that you admit."

Anna had her doubts. Maybe these barbarians were more than first appearances suggested. If the Earth Advisors really could work to this grand strategy, maybe she could try to buy some more time. They did seem to understand the same concepts of morality. But did she need Jack? It would not be the first time her prophecy had come true. She had predicted he would come and help them. Right now she would settle for having him make even a small difference.

"Lady Anna will tell you everything you want to know and what you do not know enough to ask." The old woman gave a meaningful look at Anna. "Isn't that right, Girl?" Anna nodded. "My Dear, these men have told you as best they can what you need to do and why. Do not confuse their style with the content of their remarks."

"Yes, Nana." Anna dutifully replied, but she was not convinced. How could these primitives know so much about these matters? Looking at the state of their own society, Anna had doubts they knew much of anything.

"My Lord General, I have heard that you are a barbarian. But truly, the only barbarian here is my Anna." Princess Ellen was obviously impressed with this discussion. Anna was aghast. "You have shown great wisdom."

"Thank you, Princess Ellen. We are grateful for your kind words." Daniel bowed to her. Jack thought it was a good thing he brought Daniel along this time. Without him to tag team Anna, this could have gotten very ugly.

A few moments passed with silence in the room. "I shall do what I can. See that you do not act before you have my permission." Princess Ellen nodded. The interview was too much. The old woman looked at O'Neill appraisingly. Then she closed her eyes. She motioned for them to leave.

Outside the door, Anna looked at him with new eyes. O'Neill smiled back at her. "That went well." He offered her the opening. "I guess we have to get busy."

Anna decided that she lost nothing by trying. Maybe there was a low tech solution to this problem. These folks were certainly low tech enough. And, working with them did not stop her other efforts. "My Lord General, you spoke with great wisdom. Truly, I am grateful. Come."

Jack wondered where he was going. But, he had been wondering that since the aliens came to Earth.

"Where do you suppose we are going now?" Daniel asked Jack. They were following Lady Anna's guards somewhere in an enormous palace. The place was so huge it took a transporter to get around. Getting beamed around inside a building was proving very disorienting. And this was one extravagant setting with room after room opening to more rooms.

"I have no idea, Daniel." Jack marched along looking grim in full dress uniform with all his medals flopping on his chest. "And I am tired of this dance."

"Well, the meeting turned out good." Daniel looked around at the opulence, the art, and the architecture. "The old lady seemed to be receptive."

"Daniel, when were you going to explain to me about this Matriarch thing?" Jack kept marching without looking at Daniel.

"Uh, I did, Jack. Remember, last week before we left the base."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"Didn't"

"Did." Daniel scowled at Jack. "You never listen to me. I really prepare these things. I wasted a lot of time on that one."

"Wasted your time?" Jack finally gave him the look.

"Yeah, wasted. That's how it feels. Wasted. Yep." Daniel shot him a look through his glasses.

"I got the part about a somewhat matriarchal society. But it was in there with a whole bunch of other stuff, and I sorta lost track." Jack shifted his hat to under his other arm.

"So, then, I did tell you."

"Ok. But Daniel what did I say about prioritizing and keeping it short?"

"I thought I did."

"No, you didn't." They turned a corner and were asked to wait. Jack took the nearest chair. Daniel pulled one up in front of him.

"Ok, let's go over it again." Daniel waited until Jack had focused. "These people are organized as follows. There is a King and a nobility." Jack nodded. "There is a kind of parliament called the Great Council. The King can veto like the President. Lady Anna has a seat in the parliament and is also in charge of the military directly like the President and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs together." Daniel waited for Jack to catch up and nod. "Most government officials are men. But, here's the matriarchal part. The women form a kind of government that rules the different clans. You can't operate one without the other. The head of each clan is a woman called a Matriarch." Daniel paused and waited for Jack, who was looking confused. "You just met the Matriarch or Head of the Royal Family's clan." Jack nodded. "She is just as powerful as the King but in a different direction."

"Ok, now I am lost. How can she be as powerful as the King? I don't get that part." Jack frowned and concentrated.

"She controls all the internal matters for the Royal Family, its clan members, and their client families. She also works with other Matriarchs to arrange the internal matters between clans. She controls stuff like who marries whom, or disputes between clans, inheritance, or politics between the clans. Anything related to internal clan business falls under her control. Even the King has to do what she says if it is internal to the clan."

Daniel stopped. Jack's eyes were glazing over. "Jack you have to concentrate. This is the important point of it."

"Ok, the Matriarch can veto the King? That's just weird." Jack was really confused.

"In a sense, yes." Daniel continued. " I don't know exactly how that works, but you just saw the Matriarch tell Lady Anna she could not wage war without her permission. The King had already given Lady Anna permission. But Lady Anna's hands are tied now. And she was instructed to work with you, closely and stop screwing around."

"So who really runs the show, the King or this Matriarch?" Jack rubbed his eyes.

"Both."

"Both?" Jack sat back and tried to digest it. "So, I have to please her to get whatever Anna promised Earth?"

Daniel began to nod his head and shrugged instead. "Probably she has something to do with the approval process at the highest level. And this is the kicker, Jack." Jack shifted in his seat to refocus. "Lady Anna is the last of her line. That means she will become the Matriarch after this one dies."

"Oy. So really powerful?" Jack scowled. He had been pulling the tail of the tiger for the past month. He could have rolled over and played a good boy for Anna, but he would not have been able to respect himself. So, he had fought back where he could. He had insulted her, hurt her, contradicted her, and had been, well, surly was the nicest word he could choose. "Daniel, if she is the last of her line, why isn't she going to become Queen when the King dies? Or will she?"

"As far as I can tell, she can't rule outright because she is a woman. But it is possible that her son could."

"She has a son? She never mentioned having a family this whole time." Jack was interested now.

"No, Jack. I told you this too. Remember when I told you about my conversation with Dr. Gilead the archaeologist friend of mine on the ship." Jack looked blank. "When I said you were royal." Jack groaned. "Ok, well that's when he told me and I told you that she had lost her family when the Goa'uld attacked and burned their planet."

"Oy. You mean her kid died?" Jack knew how that felt.

"Jack, all her children died, all six. So did her husband, her parents, brothers, sisters, the works." Daniel was very quiet for a long while. He knew Jack was digesting this information.

"Go on, what else should I know about her? I am listening this time." Jack looked away for a moment to compose himself. This was awful.

"Jack, she has been terribly wounded in battle leading the troops when no one else would. She has died twice in battle and been revived in the sarcophagus, just like you." Daniel paused until it registered with Jack. "This beautiful, small, frail woman went into battle to set an example when none of the men would lead. She took a few very trusted and loyal friends and tried to beat up the Goa'uld herself hoping someone would be ashamed enough to help her. Or be ashamed enough after she died. It has taken her seven years to get to this point, having ships with crews that will probably fight. As you heard, sometimes they don't."

"Oh god." He groaned again. Jack sat there amazed. "You mean she really started from scratch? I didn't believe it." He had really misjudged her as a being a dilettante noblewoman playing at war. "I didn't realize."

"She started from zero, seven years ago. She got lucky that Apophis did not come back sooner to finish the job. But Sokar got him first. And then we got both of them." Daniel got up to pace. "Sure they had ships for shipping and transportation. But they didn't have warships with any real weapons. They had shields, cloaking, and speed. That's all." Daniel waited until Jack caught up again. "Everything they have now is because she got the King to let her commandeer the economy to produce weapons, ships, and god knows what else to prepare."

Jack thought for a few minutes. "Daniel, if she can do all that, what does she need me for?"

"She was trying to shame them into fighting. The idea was if this honorable but primitive man could do all he did with the little he had, they should be able do it too. It didn't work until we took down Apophis at Vorash." Daniel grimaced. "Even so, all she can get are some of the younger generation to do it. And she has powerful enemies. You saw today that her own Matriarch, the one person as powerful as the King, would not support her until you intervened."

"Ok, I have heard enough. Daniel next time I miss all this, kick me until I listen." Jack threw a small smile at Daniel.

"Next time don't be an ass."

Many meetings and many revisions of battle plans later, Lady Anna's force was ready for its first operation using their Earth Force Advisor's recommendations. This day, Commander Eli stood on the bridge of his ship. He had his doubts about the outcome of this exercise. But, he was willing to try the new tactics proposed by O'Neill's specialists. With him stood Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell and Teal'c. They were there to observe and offer insights. But the Commonwealth had to act for itself in battle. Intelligence reports indicated that a large convoy of Wannabe's commerce was enroute through a nearby system on the way to deliver goods to their shipyards. Those shipyards were preparing a new armada for the Goa'uld to make a comeback. Commander Eli's mission was to stop that convoy.

"Lt. Col. Mitchell, are you sure that the Wannabe's crew will abandon ship when we confront them?" Commander Eli just could not believe it would be that simple.

"Sir, commerce raiding is an old tactic. The crews of freighters know they cannot survive an attack from a more powerful ship. Freighters are just that, cargo carriers. Typically they have few weapons. They have no reason to die fighting for cargo that can be replaced. Once you establish that the crews can use the lifeboats and be left alive, you will give more cargo ships the reason to heave to and give up without a fight. Trust us, we know how this works." Cam Mitchell had studied the convoy battles in the Atlantic during the World Wars.

"I hope you are right." Commander Eli turned to Teal'c. "Master Teal'c are you ready to deal with any Jaffa on board?"

"I am ready Commander. You may proceed." Teal'c assumed a satisfied expression. If they did comply, then fine. If not, so be it. "Are you ready to kill the ones who do not give up?"

"Unfortunately, Master Teal'c, yes. Let's hope Colonel Mitchell is correct and they all surrender." Eli looked at the crew. He hoped they would do their duty. He had no desire to be exiled for an Act of Refusal by the crew. The Act of Refusal was the equivalent of a mutiny in that a crew in battle would refuse to take life in a fight. The penalty was exile for any of the crew that survived. "Captain Michael, you may decloak and hail the lead ship."

"On screen, Commander." Captain Michael adjusted the sound. He was worried too. The crew had performed well in drills. They had been screened and re-screened for loyalty. But sometimes, such precautions were not enough. A face appeared with no Jaffa insignia. It was one of the Wannabe's. The face was pale and not quite human with brow ridges and strange ears. But it could speak.

"I am Jaron, Lord of the Vessel Artan. Why do you hail us?"

"I am Commander Eli of the Commonwealth of Planets, Commander of this Starship _O'Neill, the Great_. You have trespassed in our space and are in violation of our laws. Heave to and be boarded or be destroyed."

"Ridiculous. I have never heard of you. If you try to board us, you will be the ones destroyed. Now get out of my way, Jaron out."

Commander Eli looked at Mitchell who shrugged and said, "Ok, throw some shots across their bow, then take out one of the ships if they don't comply."

"Captain Michael, execute that order." Everyone stood and waited holding their breath. The convoy did not stop. Instead they lobbed a few shots toward the O'Neill. The shields held. "Captain Michael, hail them again."

"No response, My Lord." Captain Michael stood over the tactical weapons officer. If necessary, he would execute the firing sequence. He had no desire to be exiled either. Last week's Ceremony of Penance made a deep impression on everyone here. The last ship to make the Act of Refusal had been publicly humiliated before their families and the King. Then they were sent into exile for the rest of their lives. The threat was that the next time a crew did it, they would have to make Penance before O'Neill the Great, himself. That thought was too much to bear.

Commander Eli drew a breath and said, " Rescue and damage control parties ready. Fire on the second ship." The second ship in the convoy took a hit to the stern and began to drift out of the sequence. The other ships opened fire on the _O'Neill_. The shields held. "Hail the Artan." The same face appeared, but was worried this time.

"How dare you fire upon us? We have done nothing to you. You will have to pay for the damages to my vessel." Lord Jaron tried to bluff but the crew behind him was acting afraid.

"Again I say, heave to and be boarded or be destroyed. You cannot out run this ship. Look at it. Your weapons have no effect. The next shot will be at you. And this time we shall disintegrate your ship entirely." Commander Eli's face was impassive. "Are there any Jaffa on board compelling you to make a stand?" Lord Jaron looked to his side before he realized his mistake.

Teal'c interrupted as planned. "Kree Jaffa. I am Teal'c of the Tauri. If you know my name, you know enough to be afraid. Here me, Brother." Teal'c waited until the Jaffa came to the screen. "This ship is capable of destroying you. But I offer you freedom from false gods. The Jaffa are free. Join us, Brother. No harm will come to you."

"Kree, Sholvah! Never! I serve my god." The Jaffa's face was pure fury.

"Very well, die in disgrace. It is all the same to me." Teal'c nodded to Commander Eli. Commander Eli turned to Captain Michael, but before he could give the command to fire, the Jaffa on the screen took a blast and dropped. "Shall we assume you intend to surrender, Lord Jaron?"

"Yes, yes, don't fire. We surrender. But there are other Jaffa on the other ships. They are listening. But, wait, what? You are sure?" Lord Jaron spoke to someone off screen. "Teal'c of the Tauri, the other Jaffa have been neutralized. What is your command?"

"Instruct all your crews to abandon ship in the escape pods. If you do not have enough, we can beam them to a prison ship in this compliment and will set them free on the world of their choice." Teal'c nodded to Commander Eli.

Captain Michael spoke, "My Lords, multiple escape pods have launched from all ships." The screen on the Artan went dark as the crew evacuated. "Life signs are all accounted for from the vessels. The prison ship reports they have everyone on board."

"Have Lord Jaron beamed over here. I want him to witness this." Commander Eli nodded at Mitchell. A few moments later, Lord Jaron stood on the observation deck escorted by several large guards. "Destroy those ships, Captain." One by one they exploded from one shot a piece in the vacuum of space. "Have Lord Jaron escorted to comfortable quarters and post a guard. He is not to be mistreated. Separate the human slaves and secure the Jaffa and the Wannabes." Cheers erupted on the bridge.


	10. An Alliance Is Born

Chapter 10: An Alliance Is Born

Admiral Zay stood at the Stargate. This news was so fabulous he would deliver it himself to Lady Anna. Lord O'Neill had indeed solved a terrible problem. The Stargate activated. Zay stepped through to the Capital and was beamed to the Palace. He could not afford the luxury of time in air cars. He had to get back as soon as possible.

Servants conducted him to Lady Anna's office in the Palace. He was announced and walked in. His face told her the whole story. Tears came to her eyes. Both cousins just stood together knowing that the tide had turned. Anna dismissed her ladies and her assistant. Zay and Anna embraced and shed tears of great happiness. Now, she could get the unqualified support she needed to make this all work.

"Anna, dear Anna. You were right all along." Zay stepped back disengaging from her arms. "Shall we proceed to the next step?"

"Yes, Zay, so long as we don't make a grand battle, Nana will be content. But she has forbidden us from going into battle against the shipyards before she settles things here. This news should give her what she needs." Anna wiped her face and smiled. "I want to tell Lord O'Neill. Are you ready?" He nodded. Anna signaled for Jack and Daniel to enter.

Jack entered cautiously with Daniel in tow. Both were surprised to see the Admiral there. Jack almost forgot to bow, but Daniel caught his mistake. Phew, thought Jack. Nearly ended up in the pokey again. "What now, My Lady?"

"My Lord General, we have news. Our fleet just engaged an enemy convoy. All went according to your plan. The crews abandoned the freighters just as your experts predicted. We recovered the crews with minor injuries. Your 'commerce raiding' worked. We are grateful.

Jack looked very pleased with himself. Daniel was shocked. No one told him such things were already in the works. And he had just witnessed Princess Ellen forbid action without her consent. Ok, this was weird.

"My Lady, what about Princess Ellen's warning? What will happen now?" Daniel was alarmed.

"Nana said not to wage war and incur many casualties. This was a test of these "Commerce Raiding" tactics. Generals O'Neill and Franklin described these tactics to Admiral Zay last week. Nana knew we would do it. And now she has the ammunition to go against our opposition." Anna turned to Jack, "My Lord, we do listen and learn. Your briefing to Admiral Zay last week was not without effect. We shall try it your way several more times. If it works, then we shall contact the enemy to make them understand that we can act whenever and wherever we choose. Thank you, My Lord General."

"So that meeting was some kind of test, ma'am?" Daniel was floored. He looked at Jack. Jack was still very pleased with himself. He shrugged at Daniel indicating he was ok with this fact.

"Only partly, Dr. Jackson. Nana had to see and hear you before she decided to trust you. You both spoke and acted with honor. It was obvious to everyone you spoke the truth as you believed it." Lady Anna regarded them seriously. "We were afraid that your tactics were intended to bring destruction down upon us." Jack scowled. "My Lord General, you have been hostile towards us from the beginning. Considering your military reputation, we had to be certain you were not trying to destroy us. Forgive us, but everyone felt it necessary to be sure."

Lady Anna walked up to Jack. She held out her hand and smiled up at him. He looked at her and then very gently took her small hand in his large one. She understood what he meant. He would be gentle towards her from here on out.

Over the next month, the results of several raiding engagements were "leaked" to the newsies. When the public learned that the convoys had abandoned ship with almost no loss of life, public opinion about the military shifted. Many people joined. And Lady Anna was held to be the greatest leader since David slew Goliath. Of course, credit was given to Lord O'Neill, the Great for helping with the solution.

Interest in O'Neill, the Great had not faded. But Anna's propaganda machine began to speak of Jack's history and struggles with his conscience. His biography was broadcast. Anna's staff culled through the SGC data banks for his files and constructed a portrait of a man conflicted but dedicated. The stories of his team were told as well. Jack stubbornly refused to be interviewed. But he did let Anna have some photo opportunities. At least she was trying to send the right message.

The public became obsessed with all things related to Earth. The morals and religions of Earth were described on educational channels. The philosophy and culture of O'Neill's people of the United States and its military played on many channels. Favorable comparisons to their ethics influenced public opinion. The political systems of Earth were taught in the Universities. Suddenly, everything Earth related was in fashion.

Lady Anna sat with Admiral Zay and Generals O'Neill and Franklin. They were giving her a briefing of recent mission results. For the most part, the "Commerce Raiding" tactics were working.

"Ma'am," General O'Neill began, "We have effectively handled the immediate threat to your people. Our tactics are working. Loss of life on both sides is minimal. And work at the shipyards is slowly grinding to a halt."

General Franklin took over. "The enemy's remaining capital ships have been rerouted for convoy escort work. Commonwealth weapons are proving superior. The first thing a cloaked Commonwealth raider does is disable the Al'kesh mid-range bomber assigned to the convoy. Then another salvo jams the launch bay doors so no Gliders can get out. From that point, the missions proceed normally. After several convoys went down, the Goa'uld sent some of their remaining Ha'tak mother ships to work convoy duty. So the threat that these ships can attack your planets is significantly reduced."

"What are we learning about the cargo, General Franklin?" Lady Anna was curious as to what the Goa'uld supplied their allies.

Ma'am, as people were debriefed from the enemy freighters, more information about what was critical to the Wannabes came to light. We know what is being traded." General Franklin checked his notes. "We think we know where these freighters load up before joining the convoys, at least for the most important cargo. Our next step is to take them out before they reach the meeting point for the convoy."

"What about progress at the shipyards? Won't they be able to use these ships against us once they become ready?" Lady Anna was especially concerned about this point.

"No, ma'am." General Franklin smiled. "For one thing, the shipyards have used up their current supplies. Their operations are fubar. Any remaining vessels the Goa'uld can round up are no problem for your weapons. Pretty soon, they will have to build convoy ships and smaller escorts. But, it will take more time. We can then find out where they are doing it, and take out those supplies."

"Fubar? What is that?" Lady Anna had no idea what some of these strange terms meant.

Franklin hesitated. The Earth Force Advisors present squirmed. "Ma'am, fubar is a term to say that conditions at the shipyards arefouled up beyond all repair." Everyone sighed. No one wanted to curse in front of The Lady. She was still touchy about protocol although she had eased up a little on the bowing.

"Basically, ma'am," O'Neill continued, "we have them stopped due to shortages for the next few months. Now, we are starting to mess with their heads. If the next level of effort works out, maybe we bought a couple of years." He looked over to Zay to continue.

"My Lady, the next step is to use our spies and our cloaked surveillance platforms to intercept messages between locations. We want to identify which supplies in particular are needed at any one point and destroy those on a priority basis." Zay paused noticing Anna's frown.

"I understand prioritizing our efforts against the enemy, but what does it have to do with "messing with their heads" as Lord O'Neill said?" Anna was still learning Earth slang.

Teal'c added his insight. "My Lady, if we can always take out just what is needed before it is sent, then we can cause doubt in the Jaffa. If the Goa'uld are gods, how is it they don't know who is doing it or when? We have planted spies among their Jaffa. They can assist in identifying which goods and which freight depots to strike first. The new surveillance devices are maximizing the use of our personnel among the enemy. All is proceeding according to plan." He smiled a self-satisfied I told you so smile. "The confidence you have expressed in the Free Jaffa has not gone unnoticed on the High Council. Many are changing their opinion to support an alliance."

"Ma'am," O'Neill began, "if we take out the right supplies, then even their allies will wonder about the competence of their friends, the Goa'uld. It will hit their morale. Then we start creating shortages of what the Wannabes use every day."

"I am amazed at this tactic. I would never have thought of it. Is it something you created or is it standard practice in your military?" Anna was becoming more and more interested in how Earth prepared their war plans.

"Actually, it is not new. In a war we call World War Two, the British, our allies, cracked the transmission code their enemy was using. They were able to track shipments and even know what was being shipped. The other side never knew why the most important shipments blew up just when they were needed." Franklin looked over at Jack. "Rommel's North African campaign." They both shrugged acknowledging the reference.

"Gentlemen, what is the enemy doing to crack our system?" Lady Anna figured the other side must be trying something.

Admiral Zay began again. "Intelligence reports that the Goa'uld and the Wannabes have sent spies to several Commonwealth homeworlds. Some saw what they were supposed to see. Some had made it past most of the security. That problem was rectified. We know that the other side is beginning to realize we have powerful capabilities and resources. My Lady, a spy was identified that we want to use to send a message to the enemy. These people want to capture him."

"Ma'am," Franklin interrupted, "it is time to start M.A.D. We are ready to take things to the next level and start the Cold War."

Jack saw her blank on the term. "Mutually Assured Destruction. It's an acronym. Anyway, they have to believe that we can do to them what they are planning for us." She nodded. "And they must believe we have the will to do it, no matter what."

"Ma'am, we propose to lure this spy to another world where he will be captured." General Franklin took over on this point. "The purpose is to show we know all about their spying activities and send a powerful message. We want him to convey the information that we can annihilate their planets if they persist. They have enough evidence now to know a lot about our capabilities." Franklin looked to Admiral Zay to continue. It was his command anyway.

"My Lady Anna," Admiral Zay smiled. "Part of the strategy here is to give them the idea that they had better wait to act. To convince the leadership we mean business, we shall show them the destruction of a dead planet with one shot. The spy will be taken to the planet in question and will witness the explosion. Recordings of that exercise will be given to him. Then, he will be delivered to a Wannabe world." Admiral Zay waited for her to consider this suggestion. Anna looked doubtful. Jack took over.

"We know that the Wannabes have learned that I am working with you. They know who I am. They know about Teal'c. So they know that the Asgaard are probably involved too."

Teal'c explained, "We think they are looking for our communication channels to the Asgaard. So we think we can lure this spy to K'tau, where we use the Hall of Wisdom to call the Asgaard. With your approval, we shall have people ready to go to K'tau before the spy gets there. Everything else is in place."

"I defer to your judgment, My Lords. But I want you to take several cloaked vessels with some of the new weapons. Take no chances that this is a trap disguised as a spying effort." Anna stood up to end the session. "My Lord O'Neill, I wish to speak to Thor directly myself. Once the area is secured, you and I shall go through the Gate to the ship." Everyone bowed and she left.

The next day on K'tau, Elrad was in the Freyr's temple. Freyr was really an Asgaard but the people here didn't know it. As Flayman for the Temple, Elrad had to clean up before services the next day since he was the spiritual leader of this village. As he turned around to survey his handiwork, he stopped dead. Elrad rubbed his eyes with both fists to be sure. There was a glowy image of a woman floating toward the altar. She was looking intently at the details. When she saw Elrad, she smiled and settled down to the floor. Elrad had the urge to flee, but his feet would not work.

"Hello." The glowy woman drifted before him and waited.

"Uh, hello?" Elrad managed to get out.

"Is this the Hall of Wisdom?" The glowy woman looked around again.

"No, this is the Temple of Our Lord, Freyr." Elrad thought he was going crazy.

"Oh, I see." The woman was disappointed. "Can you take me to the Hall?"

"I don't see how. You aren't solid." Elrad approached her and cautiously passed his hand through the image. He jumped backwards. "Are you a ghost?"

"A ghost? Oh no, I am not dead." The woman smiled at him. "I am Anna. Who are you?"

"Elrad. You sure you aren't dead?" The woman nodded emphatically and chuckled.

"Then you must be a fairy." There, Elrod was satisfied. He knew all about fairies. They could be meddlesome creatures. To newborns, they gave beauty, health, and kindness. Otherwise, they could make mischief if they wanted. They liked gifts, especially of food. But mortals seldom ever saw one. They lived on the Astral plane but could go between worlds. This one must be using her 'glamour' to enable him to see her. It would explain the glow.

"Fairy? What is a fairy?" Lady Anna decided to have a little fun. "Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Oh, you are teasing me." She shook her head to say'no.'Elrad spoke to her patiently. "They are mostly good, but not always. Believe me. You are a fairy."

"Then, I am a good one." Anna smiled and laughed. Elrad relaxed a bit. She was probably a pixie. Those were good-natured. She moved closer to him and he backed away. "Are you afraid of me? I can't hurt you like this."

"Maybe, maybe not." Elrad looked surprised. "There's another one!" He pointed behind her. Anna glanced back and nodded at her science officer.

"Don't worry, Elrad. That one is nice too." Anna noticed someone else in the back of the room. "Who is that?"

Elrad looked back and saw Malchus. Malchus was a religious fanatic who had murdered some elves a few years ago. The spirits did not like him. "Brother Malchus, look we have a visit from the Fairies." Malchus looked scared and horrified. He ran for it.

Outside, he called to the villagers. "Call the Elves. We have a Fairy problem in the Temple." SG-3 had left a Sagan box for the K'tau to throw through the "Annulus" as they called the Stargate. Receiving its signature told the SGC the K'tau wanted to speak to them. "Hurry, one of them has Elrad." Somebody ran off to the Stargate to dial and throw the box.

"Unscheduled activation. Incoming wormhole." Sgt. Harriman called into the microphone. The alarms went off. A big thud was heard behind the iris protecting the gate. General Landry walked up with Colonel Reynolds. "Seems like K'tau threw a Sagan box, sirs."

"Open a channel on the M.A.L.P. we leave there." Landry waited. On the view screen they could see a K'tau man hollering something at the machine. The sergeant adjusted the controls and the voice came through loud and clear.

"...Fairies everywhere. You have to come." The man was beside himself. Others were gathered around him. They were all agitated.

"Allow me, sir, they know me," offered Col. Reynolds. "Um, this is Colonel Reynolds. What do you mean by 'fairies?'

A woman pushed the man aside and shouted at the camera, "Are ye deaf, Elf? He just told you we have a fairy problem. _**FAIRIES**_. No tricks, Elf. You know perfectly well about fairies." Reynolds looked at Landry who was just struck by the whole absurdity of it. The little sergeant was trying to suppress a giggle.

"Go deal with the fairies, Colonel." Landry chuckled too.

Inside the temple, Lady Anna talked to Elrad. He was blathering something about elves coming to use the Hall of Wisdom. "What are elves?" Lady Anna wanted to know. "Can they help me talk to Freyr?"

"What kind of fairy are you if you don't know about elves?" Elrad had the feeling she was making mischief somehow.

"Well, maybe we call them something else." Anna looked over to Elrad who looked worried. "What is wrong, Elrad?"

"I can't believe I am talking to a real live fairy." He seemed to be getting upset. "I suppose you want a gift, or food, or something?" And then the door in the back flung open and Malchus was back with some natives.

"See, I told you, there she is." He pointed to Anna's hologram. "A fairy!" SG-3 stared. The others gasped. Some ran away. Others just stood stock-still and waited to see what would happen. They looked at her and she looked at them. At that moment, O'Neill joined her in her office and walked over to where she stood. He took a look around and realized she was using the hologram communicator. She motioned to him, so he stepped in to look too. O'Neill's hologram appeared before Elrad.

"Hi there, Elrad, isn't it? Long time no see." He waved. Before Elrad could react, Jack saw Malchus. "What is _HE_ doing here? Get him out." Malchus ran like the Devil was chasing him. If the elves told the fairies what he did, anything could happen to him. Jack muttered, "Was it something I said?" He smirked.

"Elves together with fairies? I didn't know that was possible." Elrad was stumped.

"Fairies?" asked Jack.

"I am a fairy, Lord O'Neill," answered Anna. She whispered to him, "Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah, oh yeah, no problem." Jack paged Daniel. Then Colonel Reynolds came forward.

"Nice to see you, General. Keeping company now with fairies, I see. Oh the shame of it, sir." Reynolds looked down and shook his head as if he disapproved. Actually, he was trying to choke back a laughing jag.

"Funny, Reynolds. Funny." Jack pretended to laugh. Then he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I was _Ordered_ to look into the fairy problem." And then Colonel Reynolds lost it. "Sir, why are you hanging out with fairies?" Jack had to laugh too. "Iam going to have to insist you stop consorting with fairies, sir."

Colonel Reynolds finally stopped laughing. But this was too good to let go. General O'Neill's hologram wasn't laughing anymore either. O'Neill was on board the Commonwealth starship _'O'Neill, the Great'_ in orbit above K'tau and Colonel Reynolds with SG-3 was on K'tau in Freyr's Temple.

"That's enough,Reynolds?" Jack had to get control back in front of Anna.

O'Neill was there trying to contact the Asgaard using the device in the Hall of Wisdom that could be accessed from Freyr's Temple. Out of curiosity, Lady Anna had used her holographic communicator to do reconnaissance before they came down. Even though she kept her image small, one of the locals saw her first and sent for the 'elves.' The locals thought that all SGC personnel were all 'elves.' The 'elves' had used the Asgaard 'phone' regularly for the past four years and left a M.A.L.P. on K'tau to stay in contact.

"Per the locals' request, SG-3 was ordered to take care of the 'fairy problem,' sir." Reynolds had a really hard time keeping a straight face. "General O'Neill, what are you doing here...with a fairy?" Everyone at the SGC was concerned for the General since he left for the Commonwealth with the aliens. But he looked fine, for a little hologram.

"Stand down, Colonel. Everything is fine. We just came to talk to Freyr or Thor if he is available." Jack turned to the Lady. "Ma'am, this is my... 'elf,' Colonel Reynolds, commander of SG-3." She smiled and nodded. "Reynolds, this is Lady Anna, the leader of the...'fairies.' Reynolds knew enough to bow. Jack smirked.

The locals thought that Lady Anna's hologram was a fairy. It was small and glowed. They knew O'Neill was an elf. Wonder of wonders, O'Neill'shologram stood with hers. Fairies and elves don't normally come together. The locals were shocked.They all stood there and gaped with their mouths open. No one made a sound. This was just unbelievable. Never in their history had they seen elves until four years ago, and now, here were fairies, too. Put them together and who knew what mischief was afoot?

"Listen, Elrad, maybe all these people should go do whatever it is they do?" O'Neill wanted to talk to Reynolds fast about the second mission. No one moved. "Ma'am, can you send me down there from here?" She nodded and said something. When O'Neill appeared full-sized in person, the locals screamed and ran.

"Whoa, whoa, Elrad, slow down." One of the SG team members reached out for Elrad. "C'mere." Jack gestured to him. Elrad reluctantly came back. He looked O'Neill over and reached out to touch him. Jack was solid. Elrad stared in wonder.

"Truly, you are the messengers of the gods." Elrad backed off.

At that point, Daniel made it into Lady Anna's office after Jack had paged him there. His hologram joined Anna's. "Jack, what's going on?" Daniel looked concerned. He could see Elrad. "Um, hi Elrad." He waved. Elrad managed a sick smile. The elf called Daniel was with the fairies too. This all was strange and stranger. The elves and the fairies were cooperating. Something important must be happening because they came together to see Freyr.

To answer Daniel and clue in Reynolds, Jack said, "Elrad, we are also here to catch a bad guy who will come here in a few days. I want you to take the villagers away for a while. I don't want any of your people to get hurt. So go visiting, go anywhere, but you can't stay here. Do you understand?" Elrad nodded silently.

"Daniel, Elrad called Reynolds because he thinks he has a 'fairy' problem. I told him Lady Anna was a 'good fairy.' Isn't that right?" Jack motioned to his back and used his hands together for a wings flapping motion. Daniel nodded. Daniel leaned over to Anna and whispered, "My Lady, the Asgaard insist that we don't interfere with these people's belief system. A Fairy is supposed to have wings on her back. Can the computer make an image of wings flapping?"

Anna nodded and spoke softly to the computer. Her wings appeared as if they were slowing down. She made her image descend to a nearby table. "I need to get down there and fix this, please, ma'am. Can you send me?" She spoke something and Daniel appeared full-sized in the room. Elrad gasped. "Don't be afraid. Thor loves these people because these are his good 'fairies.' Really." Daniel smiled and stood next to Elrad. Anna made her image fly over to Elrad. He held out his hand. She landed in his palm and smiled up at him. Elrad looked at her in wonder.

"Ok, Colonel set up a perimeter around the Temple and take one of their technicians to the Hall. Make sure there are no technical problems if you know what I mean." Reynolds motioned to one of his men. Jack addressed Reynolds, "help these people evacuate to some other village. I want to talk to Landry." Jack looked over to Anna. "I have to make a phone call, be right back." Then he saw the look on her face. She was afraid he wasn't coming back. She looked down to cover her emotions. Jack thought about it. "Do you want to come with?" She smiled and shook her head. He nodded back to her in thanks. She trusted him.

"Give me your GDO." Jack said to Reynolds. Jack put it in his pocket and started out the door. He stopped and paused, his back to the group. Then he smirked to himself, turned and said, "Lady Anna, where you go I go. But if you don't go, I don't go. That's our deal. You and Daniel come with me." Daniel held out his hand, palm up. Anna looked at him to be sure. He nodded and pointed to his palm. She moved her winged image toward him and then landed in his palm. Elrad's knees buckled. He sat down heavily. With that, Jack led them out the door.

On Earth, the Daedelus finally returned from the Atlantis run. Hermiod, the Asgaard crewmember, arrived with the ship. General Landry had instructions to tell him about the visit from the Commonwealth and ask Hermiod to have Thor contact O'Neill. Dr. Novak, Hermiod's human assistant had to listen to all the Asgaard cursing. She was beginning to get the gist of some of it. Basically, Hermiod resented being a messenger and stuck with a bunch of humans. His experience with humans was losing its charm. But he did send the request.

Outside the K'Tauvillage, Jack stopped. "Ma'am. I want to talk to you. Where is she?" A white light flashed and she stood next to him. "That's better." They regarded each other. "The three months are nearly up. I want to go home and take care of some business there. You have things under control now. You don't need me, not really. And I'll be available when you do. What do you say, ma'am?" Jack moved his chips all in.

Standing in a bright sunlit field on an alien world, Anna considered his request. Her plans were in motion and going well. His experts and warriors still worked with them on site. Communication was no problem anymore. Unless he went into hiding on some other world, she could find him anytime. Jack didn't need to do that and he knew it. No more appearances were scheduled for many weeks. "My Lord General, we are all grateful for the time you have spent with us. You have indeed made a difference. And our worlds are friends now." She paused and looked at him. "There is just the one matter of contacting Thor. And," she paused and took a breath, "for internal political reasons, I need to spend some time on Earth. Can you arrange for me to be received as our Ambassador in charge of Earth Development?"

Jack was surprised. This was news. "Earth Development?"

"Yes, we promised your people that we would work with you to advance your society." She smiled. "Nana wants me to be the one to do it."

"So, I'm guessing you have to get out of Dodge for a while?" Jack was very serious. She looked confused. "It means you have to leave until things cool down."

"Cool down? Oh, yes, I have really stirred up a problem with your Cold War idea. Nana thinks she should handle the problem without me incurring more anger for myself." Anna debated whether to tell him more. "The King agrees. They will bring me back after a while."

"Anna, let's have all of it this time." Jack knew this was big if she was willing to leave.

"Jack, if you don't want me to be the one, someone else will be assigned. This is only a request." Anna wasn't sure she wanted to say more. And she wasn't going to beg. "We intend to honor our commitment to you." Anna just raised the stakes.

"Anna, when were you going to tell me this?" Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and waited. He checked her raise.

"I just did, Jack." She knew this was her only opportunity to negotiate a deal. She checked too.

Jack thought it over. Daniel interrupted him. "Jack, a moment, please." They walked a short way off to talk. "Jack, this is an opportunity."

Jack wasn't convinced. "How do you figure it? She just told us she is not in power any more."

"She is not permanently out of power. There were two attempts to kill her this week and there have been more attempts the last few months." Jack was not surprised. Daniel continued his argument. "They don't want it to look like she is on the run. But they want some time to sort things out. So they figure it would be natural for her to start the ball rolling on Earth. She is the last of her line and they want to protect her."

Jack thought about it some more. She was devious. And she never gave up the whole story. On the other hand, she would one day become the Matriarch, as powerful as the King. Then, she could drag out the time it took to set up any programs for Earth. Doing such a powerful person a good turn would eventually pay off. Maybe it could pay off sooner rather than later. Poker was such an interesting game.

Later that day, the Stargate engaged and a call came through from O'Neill. He had some specifics he needed done. Then he asked for permission to come through with a special ambassador. General Landry was impressed. Never had he witnessed an ally acting with such generosity. Usually, painstaking negotiations were necessary to achieve even small concessions. But, here were the aliens of the Commonwealth dragging large containers of all sorts of equipment through the Stargate without being asked.

The list provided was indeed stupendous. Included were security items to protect the SGC from alien incursion, even incursions by the Commonwealth if they were to be believed. The aliens delivered more surveillance jamming devices. Another gift was a multilevel force field to protect the area around the Gate itself, plus an area above the mountain to one mile high. Preliminary reports indicated this gift could be used both to contain enemy personnel and to destroy weapons thrown through the Gate. Another security device was a Stargate biofilter to reduce the hazard of spores, germs, and other contagions, which might come through with the teams. But that was not all.

Along with these devices, the Commonwealth sent a ZPM with a power generator designed for use at the SGC. The cost savings from that device ran about $1.2 billion a year. The ZPM would supply the extra power to run the additional equipment and enable the Earth Gate to connect to the Atlantis Gate. ZPM's were rare finds. But, the Commonwealth knew how to produce them. The list included five mobile medical facilities that could be set up in the field, at the SGC, at the Alpha site, on the Daedelus, or on Atlantis. The advanced equipment came with the offer to train medical personnel and the supply of several technicians until SGC personnel were competent with the units. All in all, the generosity of the gifts was remarkable.

But the biggest surprise was the arrival of General O'Neill in the company of Lady Anna. From what General Landry heard from General Franklin, no one expected O'Neill to return, ever. He was a priceless political asset to the aliens. He was practically worshipped there. Landry was surprised by the unexpected rapport between the Lady and her General. Something big must have happened or she would never have let O'Neill return. As far as Landry could tell, Lady Anna was making sure she had O'Neill in her sight at all times.

Lady Anna was a delightful surprise. Instead of a haughty self-important noble woman, General Landry discovered a polite and polished diplomat. Landry had been warned about the strict protocols surrounding the Lady. So, General Landry made certain to offer the Lady a bow. She responded with a curtsey. Lady Anna graciously accepted O'Neill's introductions. She readily agreed to O'Neill's desire to call the President. But, Lady Anna would not go on a tour of the facility before her General was ready to take her. In fact, she would not make a move without O'Neill's consent. This woman was not what General Landry had expected.

While she waited, Landry provided refreshments in the Briefing Room. He had heard about the introduction of chocolate. Conquest by chocolate was a great tactic. It should be taught at the Academy. So, the Landry treated her to all sorts of chocolate delights. Lady Anna definitely enjoyed herself and politely thanked him. It was a real pleasure to meet an alien dignitary with such nice manners for a change.

General O'Neill entered the Briefing Room from Landry's office. He approached the Lady and asked her if she would consent to speak to the President. As Jack led her off to the phone, General Landry saw the look she gave O'Neill. She really did admire him. And she showed General O'Neill polite but sincere deference. If he was on a short leash with her, so was she with him. Before leaving, Lady Anna sincerely thanked General Landry for his hospitality. All things considered, her visit was definitely a good sign.

President Hayes knew a deal had been made with the aliens. Not only had O'Neill returned to the SGC, he had convinced the alien leader to come and to meet with the President. Surprisingly, she agreed to be received at the White House in four days. From all accounts, she had acted in a reasonable and polite manner to everyone she met at the SGC. From Landry's report and the video tapes of her visit, the woman was beautiful, polished, and a formidable intelligence. He had made the right call sending the contractors to her. In return, she had kept her promise to help Earth. President Hayes knew this woman would continue to honor her word.

The President understood the gesture made by the Lady. She was the supreme military leader of a great people. She ranked among the highest echelon of her people's nobility. But, she was willing to walk through the Gate into the SGC unarmed. She came escorted only by General O'Neill. She accepted food without qualification as well. Her gifts were extravagant. Lady Anna's presence and behavior was designed to honor O'Neill in front of his superiors. This visit was a signal that the alliance was real.

"Prepare the White House for a gala reception of the Lady. Pull out all the stops. I want to receive her in four days. Let's get busy, people." Hayes dismissed his aides. Yes, his poker playing, horse-trading daddy sure had taught him a thing or two.

After the visit to Earth, O'Neill and Lady Anna returned to K'tau and then went back up to the _O'Neill._ While they decided on a time frame for her appearance on Earth, they received a call.

"My Lady Anna," O'Neill began softly. "I just received word that we have made contact with the Asgaard. Thor should be here anytime." Anna smiled at him. They were in his office on board _'the O'Neill.'_ She was trying to help him wrap up their business here. Sure enough, a white light produced Thor. He was sitting in his console. Jack crossed over to Thor and regarded him. "Well it's about time, pal. We have been calling you for over two months."

"Greetings, O'Neill. We have been busy with other matters important to the Asgaard. Hermiod briefed me. We know of the visit of these people to Earth." Thor looked at Anna. "Obviously, you were able to handle it on your own."

"Um, yes, how would you know? We are supposed to be allies, friends." Then, Jack realized the implication and was pissed. "You knew and didn't say anything?"

"We know about all hyperspace activity near Earth. Yes, we knew they came. We sent a cloaked ship. But when we heard them calling for you, we realized something was different. Analysis of their ships indicated no offensive weapons." Thor played with his console. A visual image of that day from orbit showed the Commonwealth fleet around Earth.

"Buddy, you could have told us." Jack's head swiveled around at Anna. "You mean in that whole big fleet, you had no offensive weapons?" She shook her head, and smiled. He just started laughing.

"I fail to understand the joke, O'Neill." Thor was patient with his favorite human and his quirks. "Why did you want to see me? I have urgent business elsewhere."

"Thor, this is Lady Anna of the Commonwealth. Lady Anna, Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgaard Fleet." Everyone nodded in respect.

"Peace be unto you." Lady Anna rose in respect. "On behalf of my people, Supreme Commander Thor, we welcome you and offer you our friendship."

"Thank you." Thor looked at her. "O'Neill, do you know enough about them?" Jack nodded. "Then we accept. What else did you want O'Neill?"

"Thor, you know that genetic marker you put in me for my "protection?" O'Neill made the quotation gesture with both hands. "These folks say they have beaten the short life thing and want to mess with my DNA and extend my life. I said you would have to look into it first." Jack looked at Anna again. "So really, no weapons?" She grinned. He shook his head and spoke again to Thor. "Thor, we just have to have a better way to communicate. Can I have one of those Asgaard phones installed in the SGC?"

Thor thought about it and said. "We prefer to leave our arrangements as they are, O'Neill. You cannot expect the Asgaard to interfere every time something happens. It is enough that we are watching and Hermiod is with you." He played with his console and a beam scanned Lady Anna. Thor gasped. "O'Neill, you have done it again."

"Thanks. What?" Jack looked confused. "Done what?"

Suddenly, several other Asgaard joined Thor. They murmured together and gathered around Anna, who became alarmed. Jack instinctively reached for her hand to reassure her. She leaned towards him away from the little grey folks. The little fellas became really animated. The next moment, everyone was on an Asgaard ship. Anna swallowed hard and looked up at Jack.

"Thor? What are we doing here?" Jack looked around. More Asgaard were coming. Anna wasn't happy about this. "It's ok. They won't hurt you. Promise." Jack walked over to Thor and knelt down to speak face to face. "Hey, it's not like I don't appreciate the visit but the lady is really scared. What's up?" Several Asgaard were pointing devices at Anna and a beam engulfed her. They became even more agitated. Jack faced Thor again.

"O'Neill, you have brought us closer to the cloning solution. She is verrrry advanced." Thor continued to play with his consoles.

"I thought I was advanced." Jack had a little pout in his voice.

"You are O'Neill. But she is different. We have never seen a human like this. Interesting." Thor spoke to another Asgaard who seemed to be reporting to him.

"Different, how?" Jack was concerned.

"My Lord Thor, release me. Please, make them stop. Jack, I can't move." Anna's fear came through in her voice. "This is no way to make first contact, My Lord Thor."

Jack scowled back at Thor. "Hey c'mon, knock it off." The beam released. "Different...how?"

"O'Neill, she may be the closest one to the missing clue we need to solve our problem." Thor turned to the Asgaard reporting to him and gave an order. The others began to leave.

"That's what I am telling you Thor, these people are advanced humans. They live a really long time because they know how to fiddle with their DNA." Jack looked at Anna. "How much more advanced, Thor?"

"Very advanced, O'Neill. We are scanning their ships to see if there are more like her." Thor looked at his console. "Interesting. These people are the most advanced humans we have ever found. Once again, the Asgaard are in your debt, O'Neill." Jack looked very pleased.

"I'm proud, really I am, but do you think they should mess with my DNA?" He was hoping Thor would say yes.

"We have to analyze this longer. You are well, O'Neill? Jack nodded. They have not hurt you?" Thor looked appraisingly at Anna.

"Oh no, no, buddy. Actually, they like me, a lot." He smirked. "They call me O'Neill, the Great. Not bad, eh?" He hung his head in mock modesty. "They named a huge honking space ship after me, too." He looked away to hide his pleasure about it.

"I am glad, O'Neill. Hmmm, it seems they have eliminated much of the human genetic material. Why did you do that Anna?" Thor waited for an explanation.

"I am not a geneticist, but my understanding is that there is much material that serves no purpose. By eliminating it, we can use our body's energy more efficiently. We call it junk DNA. But we have geneticists who can answer your questions more fully, my lord." Anna stepped up to be next to Jack.

"The genetic marker we put in O'Neill is in this 'junk' DNA as you put it. If the junk DNA does nothing, why does the marker work?" Thor was concerned. "O'Neill, we have always intended to clone you a new body and transfer your consciousness when it is time. Do you wish a new body now?"

"What?" Jack was confused. "Clone me again? Now wait a minute. Just wait a minute." He turned to Anna. "They did this before, it was a disaster." Anna was repulsed. "I'm the original, right? Tell her." Anna looked disgusted. Thor nodded.

"Please, My Lord Thor, do not kill this man. He is precious to us all. My people do not approve of cloning. It is unholy. Leave him as he is, but let us extend his life as far as we can. Help us if you can. But do not kill him. I beg you." She began to get angry.

"Take it easy, Ma'am. Thor's a buddy." Jack spoke to Thor. "Thor, thanks for the offer, I am just not ready. Tell her you won't do anything like that now. Just answer the question, please, should she mess with my DNA?"

"Cloning does not mean we kill him. We have survived by cloning ourselves." Thor looked up to Jack and made a shrug. "Anyway, I am not certain their methods are safe yet. We must study this problem longer. But, some other things solve part of our cloning problems. They have an interesting solution to the DNA fragment loss during cell division. While it does not solve the problem entirely, it will buy the Asgaard more time to find what we need." Thor activated another beam and froze Anna.

"What?" Jack swung around, really confused. "Thor?"

"This female is considered beautiful by your species?" Thor asked. His sensors indicated that every time O'Neill looked at Anna or reacted to her, his body reacted in a positive mating mode; increased heart rate, dilated pupils, increased respiration, and elevated pheromone production. Yes, he was certainly attracted to this female. And she cared for him.

"Um, yes?" Jack did not see the connection. "What?"

"The Asgaard are concerned that you have not propagated, O'Neill. You don't want to be cloned. If you do nothing, your genetic material will be lost. Your clone is not an answer." Thor waited patiently. Jack really did not get it. "O'Neill, if you want this female for your mate, we can arrange it. Consider it a gift from the Asgaard for all you have done."

Jack didn't react for a moment and then it hit him. "You can't do that, buddy. It's just not how things are done."

"But we want you to be happy, O'Neill. You have no mate." Thor waited for Jack to catch up. For a moment Jack considered the possibility, then caught himself and shook his head.

"Thor, can we not talk about this?" Jack did not like to discuss personal matters. Then he shook himself all over at the thought. She was probably old enough to be his grandmother. Ugh, he shook himself, again.

Thor examined his console. "Is there anything else you wanted, O'Neill?"

With that opening, Jack described the situation with the Goa'uld, the Wannabes, the shipyards, and the Commonwealth. Thor thanked Jack for the information, assured him the Asgaard took it seriously, and sent them back to the 'O'Neill'.

Jack looked at Anna who was collecting herself emotionally. "Hey, back there, thanks. You care." She just looked at him as if he were a dolt. "Right. You still need me, ma'am." He sighed. "Ma'am, you are a real actress."

"Cloning is perverted." Then she stalked off in a huff. He grinned. He could really jerk her chain these days. Then he looked at her as she walked away. Nice ass. Not bad, not bad at all. He called after her, "So, lunch?"

THE END.

If you enjoyed this story, the sequel is: **Stargate Revealed: Power and Politics.**

Source: http/ http/ thanks to my fan, Rionach O'Neill for the links.

Source: King James Bible, Judges Chapter 5, verses 8 & 9. Paraphrased.

**DISCLAIMER: "Stargate SG-1" and its characters are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.**


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